No. 5 Duke 83, Albany 48, FINAL: Overall, this was nothing short of a dominant performance for the Blue Devils. The team has to be pleased with how it received contributions from every single player on the team, it was a true 11 person effort. Check out The Chronicle tomorrow for more coverage and a game story. Thanks for tuning in!
No. 5 Duke 64, Albany 34, 7:27 2nd half: Winning is now just a formality for the Blue Devils but individuals are continuing to impress in the final minutes of play. Chloe Wells just made two consecutive layups, the second coming after she stole an inbound pass. She then made a dazzling play in which she stole the ball, threaded it through her legs to keep it away from a defender and then hit Chelsea Gray for the easy fast-break layup. On the possession after that, she made a beautiful no-look pass to Haley Peters under the basket, who could not convert.
Gray and Felicia Johnson for the Great Danes are tied for the game lead with 15 points each.
No. 5 Duke 52, Albany 27, 11:45 2nd half: Duke went a couple minutes without a bucket, but Katheen Scheer ended the drought with a three. Also, worth noting, Duke has been slightly sloppy with its ball control tonight; Shay Selby just dropped an easy pass, and they have 15 TOs so far this evening.
Richa Jackson is trying to make the most of her playing time, just making a nice layup under the hoop despite the foul. She missed the point after, however.
No. 5 Duke 45, Albany 20, 15:52 2nd half: The half is off to a good start for the Blue Devils, with Allison Vernerey kicking things off by making two consecutive buckets. Chelsea Gray also added a three and has 10 points already. She is shooting an impressive 4-5 from the field, which includes two threes.
Kyrie Irving and his boot are now in attendance, along with Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston. Irving, despite the injury, managed to dance while sitting to "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga, which was just played over the sound system.
No. 5 Duke 34, Albany 15, HALFTIME: Though this is a relatively low-key game at Cameron - a small crowd, an unranked opponent and a laid back atmosphere - things just turned slightly ugly. Great Danes forward Julie Forster was fighting for a ball with Kathleen Scheer, and the tussle eventually threw a few of the players against the desk along the sideline. Felicia Johnson for Albany then got caught in the tussle and threw a few shoves, resulting in a dead-ball technical foul. Chelsea Gray took the free throws for Duke but missed both. She came back on the next possession and stole the ball, resulting in an easy layup.
Tricia Liston chimed in for a three towards the end of the half as the Blue Devils finished the half on a 9-0 run.
No. 5 Duke 25, Albany 15, 3:24 1st half: Jasmine Thomas has turned on the jets here, making a layup and then dropping a three on consecutive possessions. She leads the game with nine points as Duke is slowly breaking this game open.
No. 5 Duke 18, Albany 11, 7:53 1st half: Now all the freshmen have entered the game at a point as Hayley Peters just came in. Chelsea Gray and Shay Selbay currently lead the Blue Devils with five points apiece.
In case you're curious, I have already caught two balls that left the court and reached press row. If they keep on coming I might just insist I keep the ball as a souvenir.
No. 5 Duke 13, Albany 7, 11:48 1st half: Chelsea Gray notched another assist on a three made by jasmine Thomas while it is clear Coach McCallie is determined to get everybody some playing time today. Jackson, as mentioned, made an early check in and fellow freshman Tricia Liston, who received a DNP coach's decision against Texas A&M, just entered the game. Allison Vernerey also is in the game now for Krystal Thomas and made an early impact with a nice post move and bucket under the hoop.
No sign of Kyrie Irving or his toe at the game.
No. 5 Duke 5, Albany 2, 15:54 1st half: The game started off with a bang for the Blue Devils as they easily won the tip and Chelsea Gray dished it to Krystal Thomas in the paint for an easy layup. At 6-foot-5, Thomas has a big advantage over her the tallest Great Danes' starter, Keyana Williams, who is 6-foot-2. Gray followed the assist up with a rainbow three pointer that caught nothing but the bottom of the net. Interestingly, freshman Richa Jackson is seeing some early minutes - having subbed in for Christmas - despite not having seen many minutes of late.
PREGAME: And your starters are. . .
Duke: C Krystal Thomas, F Kathleen Scheer, F Karima Christmas, G Chelsea Gray and G Jasmine Thomas
Albany: G Cassandra Calloway, F Julie Forster, F Kate Cronin, F Keyana Williams and G Felicia Johnson
The Great Dane to watch out for is Ebone Henry, who is leading the team with over 15 points per game despite not starting tonight. Oh, and for those curious, written across the Blue Devil's forehead is: "AL can try but BANY will fail."
PREGAME: Howdy, and welcome to the The Chronicle's live blog coverage of this evening's matchup between the Blue Devils and the Albany Great Danes.
This is the first ever competition between the women's basketball teams of these schools. The Great Danes are off to a hot start at 6-2 and won its first five games for the first time since the '86-87 season.
Stay tuned here for in-game updates, commentary, analysis and random musings that come to mind.
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