The Seawolves made the long journey from Anchorage, Alaska to play the Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium, but a balanced offensive attack and a staunch defense resulted in an overwhelming Duke victory. The Blue Devils had five players score in double digits and won their final exhibition contest, 100-32.
“I liked a lot of things we did, the second half in particular in terms of intensity and positioning the defense better,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “Offensively, I just liked the fact that we were attacking all the time. We worked on a lot of different defenses and combinations, which was great.”
Alaska-Anchorage, ranked No. 8 in the preseason Division II poll, challenged No. 6 Duke early behind the shooting of senior guard Tamar Gruwell. Gruwell was 3-for-5 from behind the arc in the first half, and after five minutes of play the game was tied at 10.
“I just think that they’re a feisty, good team and you can tell why they’re ranked,” McCallie said. “Early on, I thought it was great to see a shooter come out like No. 14 [Gruwell] did and just right away grab your attention. I just thought it was good for us.”
A ferocious full-court press helped the Blue Devils take control of the game quickly, though. The Seawolves were overhwlemed by the pressure and were unable to cross the halfcourt stripe on three straight possessions in the first half. Over the course of the game, Duke forced 33 turnovers, and accumulated 24 points off turnovers.
“The one thing we tried to do with this was see the best and I think the pressure they put on us is something we probably won’t see again,” Alaska-Anchorage head coach Tim Moser said. “There are some teams at our level that do it, but their length and athleticism, it’s something we want to see.”
On the perimeter, junior Karima Christmas was on fire from behind the arc. She was 4-for-4 on 3-point field goals and scored 16 points in the first half.
“I’m pushing the timing. Hit people when they’re open. Find people when they’re ready,” McCallie said. “I think we have some excellent shooters on this team, but you have to put yourself in the right position, too. You have to let things come to you. Karima did a great job of letting the game come to her.”
Duke came out in the second half with a relentless defense, allowing only 10 points. Point guard Jasmine Thomas led an aggressive offensive attack, scoring 14 of her 20 points in the second half while helping spread the ball around to get different players involved.
“I just like to see us play off of each other,” Thomas said. “In practice, you don’t always get to play with different people... but to come into the game and get put in with a different group of people, I think that’s going to pay off for us in the long run.”
Freshmen Allison Vernerey and Alexis Rogers both had an impact, scoring 18 and 10 points, respectively.
The size of the two freshmen was key in creating mismatches for the Blue Devils, who outrebounded the Seawolves 45-19. Vernerey led the team with 10 boards, registering a double-double on the night.
Rogers displayed her improving versatility, which did not go unnoticed by McCallie.
“She’s an interesting person to coach. She’s pretty flexible,” McCallie said. “She did some things today that she’s never done in practice, meaning I put her in some positions today that she’s never played before. I think she’s a very durable, versatile player, and she’s definitely getting better.”
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