In their first game of the year, the Blue Devils overcame 2,000 miles of travel and a staunch Brigham Young defense to pass a difficult season-opening test.
Sophomore Chelsea Gray led Duke in the win, scoring 13 of her game-high 15 points in the second half. No. 8 Duke trailed the Cougars early in the second period, but the Blue Devils (1-0) rallied to take the lead and eventually escape Provo, Utah with a 61-55 victory.
“We are definitely a work in progress,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “It’s one thing to play exhibitions. It’s another thing to play a game after having to get up at 4 a.m. and travel across the country.”
The Blue Devils held on to the lead for most of the game but could not shake the Cougars (0-1), who battled back every time Duke seemed to gain momentum. The Blue Devils took an early 16-7 lead with 11 unanswered points, only to see Brigham Young answer with five consecutive points. Duke then went on another run to take a 23-12 lead but saw three straight Cougar baskets cut their lead to three.
Gray’s play in the second half sparked the Duke offense and was a crucial part of the team’s victory. Brigham Young twice fought to within three points late in the game, and both times Gray came up with a basket to keep the Blue Devils in control. She also hit three free throws in the final minute to help secure the win.
Brigham Young turnovers were also key in Duke’s victory—the Blue Devils scored 24 points off of 22 Cougar turnovers.
Gray led the game with six steals but credited sophomore Chloe Wells, who had three steals herself, with helping force those turnovers.
“Chloe Wells did an amazing job of pressuring the ball, so that allowed me to get in the passing lane,” Gray said. “If she didn’t attack the guard like she did, I wouldn’t have gotten as many steals as I did.”
Duke turned it over as well, though, losing the ball 17 times in the face of a spirited Cougar defense.
“Offensively, we weren’t stellar,” McCallie said. “We improved in the second half and improved enough to get the job done. It will be a great teaching film.”
McCallie will also work with her team on rebounding after allowing 15 rebounds to Brigham Young senior guard Haley Steed. Steed, listed at 5-foot-4, grabbed three times as many boards as the game’s next best rebounders, Gray and freshman Elizabeth Williams, who each had five.
“To see a guard get 15 rebounds—that’s unheard of. I don’t know how to explain that,” McCallie said.
Although the Blue Devil team has room to improve before their next game, Brigham Young head coach Jeff Judkins walked away from the game impressed with what he saw and considered this year’s team superior to last year’s Elite Eight squad. The Cougars faced Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium last season, where Brigham Young fell 69-54.
The Blue Devils have all week to prepare for their next contest, as they will host Auburn Friday.
Correction: An earlier version of this article should have attributed the first quote of the story to head coach Joanne P. McCallie, not Chelsea Gray. The Chronicle regrets the error.
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