There would be no need for an epic comeback this time.
Instead, the Blue Devils dominated Clemson from the start last night in Cameron Indoor Stadium, defeating the Tigers, 92-37. After having to rally from a 20-point deficit Sunday against N.C. State in the largest comeback in school history, No. 3 Duke (20-0, 6-0 in the ACC) utilized its full-court press to overwhelm Clemson and remain college basketball’s only undefeated team.
Duke quickly erased any lingering doubts from Sunday’s game, as Clemson had no answer for its defensive pressure. The Blue Devils forced 19 turnovers in the first half alone, holding Clemson (9-13, 2-5) to just 12 points on a 5-of-28 shooting performance. Furthermore, the easy baskets generated by the pressure led to a season-high 59 points at halftime, in which every Blue Devil had scored and five were in double digits.
Not only did Duke showcase its stifling defense, it also displayed an energy level not seen in the first half of the N.C. State game. Players fearlessly dove for loose balls and consistently out-hustled Clemson on the glass.
“I thought we got a whole lot better,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “It was just a really dominant first half. We had lots of contributions from many different people, lots of intensity, [it is a] terrific defensive effort to hold any team to 12 in the first half.”
Kirstyn Wright led the Tigers with 15 points, but she was the only Tiger to record a point until the final two minutes of the first half. Overall Clemson was 14-of-53 from the field, including just 17 percent in the first half.
Ball movement was the key to Duke’s offense, allowing the Blue Devils to shoot over 59 percent for the opening period. On back-to-back possessions, Jasmine Thomas found freshman Richa Jackson for easy lay-ups, and extra passes around the arc led to multiple threes from Shay Selby and Chelsea Gray. As a team, Duke shot 12-of-29 from behind the arc, including 53 percent in the first half. Jasmine Thomas attributed the shooting performance to a well-executed transition game.
“We found our transition,” she said. “I think that had a lot to do with why we shot so well. We were getting easy buckets, running the floor, and moving the ball and finding the open player.”
With an upcoming game at No. 2 Connecticut looming Monday night, there was a possibility of Duke overlooking the lesser-regarded Tigers, but senior Krystal Thomas quickly put that notion to rest.
“We just take it one game at a time,” she said. “This is the ACC and we have to take care of our conference before we do anything in March.”
Jasmine Thomas added that, despite her team’s 55-point win, there is still more work to be done.
“This is definitely not Duke at its best,” she said. “Our first half was great, but our second half shows where there’s room to grow. Once we play a full 40 minutes like we played the first half, that will be Duke at its best.”
Making tonight’s efforts all the more impressive was this game’s placement in the schedule. Following an emotional comeback win and directly preceding a hyped-up showdown against Connecticut—the defending national champion—this game had all the makings of a trap-game. Instead, the Blue Devils made a statement.
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