The Blue Devils came out firing on all cylinders Sunday, using sharp shooting and solid defense to take a commanding lead over the Hokies en route to a milestone victory.
Forcing nine Virginia Tech (6-12, 2-3 in the ACC) turnovers and making 10 of its first 13 shots from the floor, No. 7 Duke (14-2, 5-0) jumped out to a 20-point lead in the first 10 minutes of the game, and then cruised to a 61-34 victory, head coach Joanne P. McCallie’s 50th career ACC win. McCallie, who has coached 61 ACC games at Duke, is now the second fastest head coach to reach that milestone, trailing only Kay Yow, who needed only 57 games at N.C. State.
Freshman Elizabeth Williams led the Blue Devils throughout the game, finishing with 20 points, eight of which came during her team’s early 24-4 run.
“Our ability to get stops, then convert off of forced turnovers really got us going,” Williams said. “We came in with a much higher energy than the last game, and that’s really what we needed to start off.”
On offense, Duke rarely needed the full shot clock early on, scoring 16 of its first 24 points off turnovers, often on fast break layups. In addition to forcing turnovers, the Blue Devil defense forced Hokie first-year head coach Dennis Wolff to call three timeouts in the opening 10 minutes while trying to find an answer on offense. Duke relied on overwhelming Virginia Tech with its size in a half-court defensive look rather than playing its signature full-court press.
Williams made a statement on defense as well, asserting her presence with two early blocks and adding two more rejections and seven rebounds in the game. Sophomore Shay Selby added energy off the bench, having an impact that went beyond her four rebounds and two steals.
“I credit Shay Selby with coming off the bench and lifting the defense with her ball pressure,” McCallie said. “She defended [junior guard Ariel Wilson] beautifully and caused some turnovers.”
Junior Allison Vernerey and senior Kathleen Scheer, who grabbed seven boards each, also impressed McCallie with their rebounding, a facet of Duke’s game that McCallie has worked to improve all season.
The bench played an important role in Sunday’s game, as McCallie had at least two reserves on the floor for most of the final thirty minutes. The mixed lineup held onto the comfortable lead the starters had built, never allowing Virginia Tech to get within 13 of the Blue Devils, and even stretching their advantage to 27 late in the second half.
The Blue Devils cooled off offensively as the game progressed, taking a season-low 50 shots, coupled with 18 turnovers. They more than made up for it, though, with what McCallie called “a truly incredible defensive effort.”
The squad came into the game looking to hold the Hokies to 40 points, but lowered that goal to 34 at halftime. Sophomore guard Monet Tellier scored at the five-minute mark to give Virginia Tech its 33rd and 34th points, but the Hokies did not score again.
The Duke victory came against a depleted Hokie squad—Wolff had only six scholarship players at his disposal for Sunday’s contest due to injuries.
Duke will play its third game in six days Wednesday as it travels to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech.
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