FINAL: No. 3 Duke 57, VT 43: The Blue Devils improve to 17-0 on the year (3-0 in the ACC). The Hokies will fall to .500 on the year with a 9-9 (0-3) mark. Look for stat leaders after the post-game press conference, and more coverage of Duke's weekend road trip in Tuesday's Chronicle.
2nd Half: Duke 56, VT 37; 3:47 Remaining: With a late 11-2 run this one is all but over. Allison Vernerey has really taken over the game in the paint and now leads Duke with 15 points. Turnovers and careless fouls have proven too much for Virginia Tech to overcome, as Tricia Liston now heads to the line in an effort to complete a three-point play and open the the Blue Devils' lead to 20.
2nd Half: Duke 45, VT 35; 7:51 Remaining: A pair of missed three-point attempts by Jasmine Thomas and Tricia Liston gave the Hokies an opportunity to narrow the gap, and Shanel Harrison responded with a three of her own to give Virginia Tech fans hope as we head down the stretch here at the Cassell Coliseum.
2nd Half: Duke 45, VT 30; 11:20 Remaining: As has become standard in this back-and-forth game the Blue Devils have opened things up with another defensive burst, and Kathleen Scheer made her presence felt with an athletic block on Virginia Tech's Nikki Davis in the corner. Duke also discovered that the best way to beat the Hokies' defense is to go right over the top, as Jasmine Thomas lobbed a perfect full-court pass to Allison Vernerey in transition for an open layup to give the Blue Devils a 13-point lead at 43-30.
2nd Half: Duke 36, VT 27; 15:43 Remaining: The Hokies won't go away softly in this one, coming out of the locker room with a renewed defensive intensity. Save for a Jasmine Thomas jumper, Virginia Tech has thwarted Duke's efforts thus far and the Hokies are clawing their way back into the game with more efficient efforts in the paint.
HALFTIME: Duke 34, VT 21: Fenyn now leads Virginia Tech with nine points, while Jasmine Thomas added a late layup to stretch her total to ten for Duke. The Blue Devils roll into Blacksburg fresh off their 87-70 victory over Florida State Friday night. Every player has seen the court for Duke and all five freshmen have seen significant minutes. Chloe Wells and Chelsea Gray have been of particular note for the Blue Devils, playing six and 13 minutes respectively. While neither have made large marks on the score sheet, their defensive energy has given the Hokies fits both in transition and in the half court set-up. Karima Christmas has been terrific in the post, pulling in three rebounds and dishing out five assists. As a team, Duke is shooting 15-for-30 from the floor (despite being 3-for-12 beyond the arc). Meanwhile the Hokies are only 9-for-29 from the field.
On the entertainment side of things here in Blacksburg, the Virginia Tech halftime show has featured a game of tic-tac-toe and the traveling aerial show Acrodunk all in one ten minute span! If you aren't familiar with Acrodunk from their time on America's Got Talent, think Bouncing Bulldogs-Ropes+Trampolines+Basketballs. Really got the crowd rocking.
On a family note, Abby Redick (J.J.'s sister) is still pictured in the Hokies' game program
1st Half: Duke 32, VT 21; 58.2 seconds left: Alyssa Fenyn is on a personal 7-1 run for the Hokies, netting a lay-up in traffic, a spot-up three and a transition layup for Virginia Tech, against only a Richa Jackson free-throw for the Blue Devils.
1st Half: Duke 31, VT 14; 3:35 Remaining: Virginia Tech's layup woes have returned, prompting one fan behind me to yell "Can we buy a basket, please?" On the other end, a Jasmine Thomas three-pointer ignited a 9-2 Duke run which included a nice put-back by Gray. Thomas leads the Blue Devils with eight points thus far, followed closely by six from Allison Vernerey.
1st Half: Duke 22, VT 12; 7:41 Remaining: The Hokies have stepped up their pressure defense as well, forcing a turnover and a jump ball as the Duke offense has stalled. Virginia Tech is beginning to overcome early struggles with missed layups, as Brittany Gordon found her way to a nice backdoor layup behind the Blue Devils' Haley Peters.
1st Half: Duke 20, VT 6; 11:48 Remaining: After some technical delays, The Chronicle's Live Blog is underway here in Blacksburg as we join the game here midway through the first half. The Blue Devils are cruising so far behind the speed and shooting of freshmen Haley Peters and Chelsea Gray. The Hokies have done little to deny Duke in transition, and Virginia Tech is ice cold from the floor so far facing the tight pressure defense of coach Joanne P. McCallie's squad.
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