When Division II teams come to Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Blue Devil crowd expects to see a blowout. Despite sloppy play, the fans got just that as Duke defeated Wingate 88-44 last night.
The Blue Devils stumbled out of the gate with a careless first half that resulted in 12 turnovers. Their slow start could be attributed to the absence of senior and team leader Jasmine Thomas, who did not start due to an unspecified violation of team rules.
“I think there was a lack of urgency to protect and take care of the ball,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “I really did feel that way in the first half. I was not at all pleased with that whole half for a lot of reasons.”
Still, Duke was able to finish the half with a 39-23 lead after Jasmine Thomas returned to the lineup with a sense of purpose and 16 early points. In addition, the Bulldogs had no answer for the Blue Devils’ press that resulted in 10 first-half steals.
“Today we were smothered, smothered and covered, like we were hash-browns at Waffle House,” Wingate head coach Barbara Nelson said.
The Blue Devils came out in the second half clearly dissatisfied with their first half performance, with senior Krystal Thomas especially looking to redeem herself. Thomas, who was always at least four inches taller than her defender, had difficulty putting up numbers in the first half with eight rebounds but only three points, all scored from the foul line. She turned it around in the second half, pulling down 14 more rebounds. Furthermore, she scored an additional 10 points after intermission, giving her an impressive double-double.
But the true standout for the Blue Devils Wednesday was junior Kathleen Scheer, who also put up a massive double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. The crowd witnessed a display of her post skills, a well-kept secret that could make her a potential breakout player for the team this year.
“I don’t think I’ve been doing anything different, I’ve just been practicing like that,” Scheer said. “Trying to go hard to the boards, get good shots, try not to force too much.… I’ve just been trying to mix it up a little bit.”
Las night was the first opportunity for Duke’s prized freshman recruiting class to see a real opponent. Haley Peters was the only freshman to start and had an up-and-down game. She scored only four points in her 16 minutes of play but impressed the coaches with her tenacity.
“She’s relentless in her effort and she’s really motivating to coach because she plays so hard,” McCallie said. “She put out so much effort, but you can actually overrun with that intensity and effort. Haley is going through a process of understanding how to be efficient with her effort.”
Star recruit Chelsea Gray did not play due to a lingering foot injury, while fellow freshman Richa Jackson was also benched for an unspecified violation of team rules. Tricia Liston played 15 minutes, scoring five points, including a 3-pointer. Chloe Wells played over half the game as point guard and allowed Jasmine Thomas to play more off the ball.
“It’s coming together, it’s going to be a process for us,” Jasmine Thomas said. “I think you have so many talented players who are all just learning how to play together.”
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