Despite boasting one of the most prolific scorers in the country and a stadium packed with fans, James Madison was unable to overcome Duke’s smothering defense and plethora of scorers last night.
After struggling to defeat UNC-Charlotte Saturday, the No. 5 Blue Devils (7-0) rallied with a dominant victory over James Madison on the road, winning the contest 75-58. With standout performances from senior Krystal Thomas and freshman Chelsea Gray, Duke remains unbeaten.
Initially it seemed as if the Blue Devils would have their hands full with an excited Dukes squad, as the teams remained tied midway through the first half. James Madison’s Dawn Evans, the second leading scorer in the country, was 5-for-10 shooting in the first half and finished the game with 20 points.
A lockdown defending job from Jasmine Thomas, though, kept the dynamic scorer in check. Evans faltered in the second half and finished the game shooting 36 percent.
“I thought Jasmine Thomas was extremely strong in defending [Evans] and making her work for her shots,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “She did get loose a couple of times in transition, but I thought Jasmine did a fantastic job.”
Duke responded from the tie game with a 13-2 run that included big treys from Thomas and Gray. Gray came off the bench and led the Blue Devils with a career-high 15 points and also grabbed six rebounds.
“James Madison came out strong and ready to play,” Gray said. “We just tried to match their intensity. My teammates did a great job moving the ball and kicking it out to me.”
The Blue Devils went into the locker room at halftime with a hefty 43-32 lead, and they never relinquished that advantage. Although James Madison senior Lauren Jimenez earned a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, both season-highs, the Dukes (3-3) were simply unable to defend the Blue Devils’ multi-dimensional offense.
Along with Krystal Thomas and Gray, seniors Jasmine Thomas and Karima Christmas also scored in double figures, tallying 11 and 14 points, respectively.
“I thought Karima was just stellar in terms of her poise and her aggression, and the way she plays and leads her team.” McCallie said.
Junior Kathleen Scheer and freshman Haley Peters both added seven points. Peters made her presence felt, though, in more than just the box score. Early in the first half, the freshman received a pass from Jasmine Thomas and knocked down a 3-pointer that helped the Blue Devils pull away from the Dukes.
Thanks to another big performance from Krystal Thomas, Duke was dominant down low. Thomas continued her hot streak with her second straight double-double, finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Blue Devils scored 38 points in the paint compared to James Madison’s 16, and Duke outrebounded its opponent 41-33.
“JMU is an excellent team and we expect them to win their conference, and we’re excited about that,” McCallie said. “Our team, I was very impressed with our poise, our resilience, and our ability to try and not let the crowd get involved in the basketball game.”
Duke continues its road trip Thursday night in Madison, Wis. as the Blue Devils take on the Badgers as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.