Duke 87-70, END OF GAME: Not the way you like to see a game end as Alex Deluzio hit the ground hard on Florida State's final possession. Hopefully, she's all right after heading to the bench. Nevertheless, a very solid victory for Duke. The Blue Devils came out strong, weathered the Seminoles' best punches in the second half and made key defensive stops to maintain control late in the game.
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Duke 81-70, SECOND HALF 1:01 remaining: Florida State is sensing defeat and is pressuring. They have fouled Duke each of the last three possessions (all in the single bonus) with mixed results, and Courtney Ward is doing her very best to keep the Seminoles in range with two contested 3-pointers. But there really isn't enough time to expect any sort of comeback from the home team.
Duke 74-60, SECOND HALF 3:34 remaining: The Seminoles have been in the bonus for the last seven-and-a-half minutes, but they haven't taken advantage of it and have only been to the line once during that stretch. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils are playing smart basketball, using the clock and doing a decent job of taking care of the ball. Looks like this contest is Duke's to lose.
Duke 70-60, SECOND HALF 6:04 remaining: More big buckets from Chelsea Gray, who just hit a pretty floater in the lane to give the Blue Devils a double-digit lead once more. She and Liston have really made up for a surprisingly subpar night from Karima Christmas.
Duke 66-58, SECOND HALF 7:35 remaining: Both teams are really stroking it from long range. But every time the Seminoles cut the lead, the Blue Devils respond with a big basket. And it's not just the seniors who have shown composure for Duke. Both Liston and Gray hit big threes to respond to Florida State scores, and Peters just had a fantastic putback on a Jasmine Thomas three that hit all kinds of rim before falling out.
Duke 56-51, SECOND HALF 13:13 remaining: It's starting to get real interesting here at the Tucker Center. Florida State cut the lead to single digits on a four-point possession, but Chelsea Gray responded with a beautiful baseline drive to extend the lead once more. But two straight 3-pointers for the Seminoles--the first a wide-open look for Deluzio and the second a gutsy attempt from the top of the key by Ward--have Florida State back in striking distance.
Duke 50-39, SECOND HALF 15:48 remaining: Another smart play from Jasmine Thomas. The guard drove inside and drew three defenders, so she dumped it off to her namesake for another easy bucket in the paint. That's six assists to two turnovers for the Wooden Award candidate.
Duke 48-34, SECOND HALF 17:10 remaining: It's been a good start to the half for the Blue Devils, highlighted by this last possession. Krystal Thomas came up with a steal off of yet another bad pass from the Seminoles and took the ball all the way down the court on the break with Jasmine Thomas as the trailer. Krystal dished it off to her point guard, and as the defense collapsed, Jasmine gave it right back to Krystal for the easy two.
HAFLTIME STATS:
- Five 3-pointers in the first half ties a season high
- Duke is shooting 47.2 percent from the field, compared to 40 percent for FSU
- Duke has 10 assists on 17 baskets, five from Jasmine Thomas
- FSU has shot 10 free throws compared to one for the Blue Devils
- Thomas has 10 points, Peters 9 pts, Liston 8 pts
- Duke has 21 points off turnovers; FSU has 3
Duke 40-30, END OF FIRST HALF: Duke still has the lead, but the Blue Devils cannot be happy with the way they ended that half. The Seminoles have been attacking the offensive glass, and you have to believe that the multiple shot opportunities will start to pay off. Florida State closed the half on a tear. With just over a minute to play, Alexa Deluzio stole the ball from Jasmine Thomas and got a fast-break layup. Then, on the final play of the half, Courtney Ward raced down the court and hit a running floater from beyond the 3-point line as time expired.
Overall, Duke played about 16 minutes of good offense and 12 minutes of good defense. But head coach Joanne P. McCallie will not be pleased with the Seminole spurt to close the opening period.
Duke 39-24, FIRST HALF 3:56 remaining: It's been more of the same from both sides. Florida State still can't pass the ball around effectively on offense, although they've gotten more shots up in this four-minute stretch. It hasn't mattered, though, as the Seminoles can't buy a bucket. Meanwhile, Tricia Liston has taken over on offense for the Blue Devils. She has five points since the last media timeout and has made a number of nice passes to wide open teammates. Liston heads to the line to shoot an and-one.
Duke 32-21, FIRST HALF 7:15 remaining: The Blue Devils are really creating some separation, and they're doing it with their defense. Florida State has committed back-to-back turnovers on offense, as Duke's length seems to be troubling them on the perimeter. And when the Seminoles try to run to beat Duke's defense down the court, they have turned it over on the fast break. The Blue Devils have had no such difficulty on offense and are repeatedly finding the open player when Florida State double-teams.
Duke 26-19, FIRST HALF 11:12 remaining: Some hot shooting from beyond the arc has Duke in the lead at the second media timeout. Freshman Haley Peters has been stroking it from the field for seven points and fellow first-year Chloe Wells hit a long three with the shot clock winding down to bail out a dying offensive possession.
PREGAME: We're here at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee as the Blue Devils test their undefeated record in the first conference road game of the season against Florida State. Sound familiar?
Starters:
No. 3 DUKE: Krystal Thomas, Karima Christmas, Haley Peters, Chelsea Gray, Jasmine Thomas
No. 21 FLORIDA STATE: Natasha Howard, Cierra Bravard, Alexa Deluzio, Christian Hunnicutt, Courtney Ward
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