NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In an arena without air conditioning, facing an opponent playing on its home floor and a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line, the Blue Devils used the game’s intensity to get hot from the field.
The highest-scoring game of Duke’s season—with 176 total points scored—the second-seeded Blue Devils dominated Tuesday night’s matchup against Vanderbilt in a fast-paced shootout, defeating the Commodores 96-80 at Memorial Gynmasium. Led by Haley Peters and Tricia Liston, who scored 25 and 23 points, respectively, Duke took its momentum from Sunday’s lopsided victory over Samford to dominate seventh-seeded Vanderbilt.
A raucous Commodore crowd had little effect on the Blue Devils early on, with head coach Joanne P. McCallie’s squad pressuring Vanderbilt on both ends of the floor.
Making 25-of-37 shots, Duke controlled the first half and headed into the locker room with a 24-point lead. The Blue Devils dictated play on defense as well, forcing 11 first-half turnovers while keeping Commodores to 13-for-31 shooting from the field.
Duke scored on all but six of its first-half possessions, pulling down eight offensive rebounds and only turning the ball over twice.
“I’m very proud of our team’s effort, especially the way we came out in the first half just sharing the basketball offensively and playing some terrific defense,” McCallie said. “I don’t think we played as good of defense in the second half, but certainly in the first half I think we dictated a lot of things on the floor.”
Duke had three players in double figures at the half, led by Peters’ 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Chelsea Gray scored 10 points and dished out four assists and Elizabeth Williams scored 11 points without missing a shot from the field. The freshman also racked up three assists, three rebounds and two blocks before halftime.
The Blue Devils’ main first-half problem was on the defensive glass. Vanderbilt center Stephanie Holzer brought down six offensive rebounds, pacing the Commodores, who tallied 11 in the game’s first 20 minutes.
Duke came out of the locker room and continued its offensive onslaught without missing a beat. Liston scored the first five points of the half and made all seven of her shots in the period.
Although the Blue Devils continued to struggle on the defensive glass—giving up 17 offensive rebounds on the game—Duke showed no other flaws in its all-around domination.
A late-game run by Vanderbilt brought the Blue Devils’ lead under 20 points, but the Commodores never made a big enough run to make the contest close. The game closed with Vanderbilt fans, who had the rare opportunity to watch an NCAA tournament game on their home floor, chanting “Lehigh” during the closing seconds.
The lone bright spot for the Commodores was SEC leading scorer Christina Foggie, who scored 26 points on 7-of-15 shooting from beyond the arc.
Although Liston and Gray finished as the leading scorers for Duke, Chelsea Gray set the tone of the offense, pushing the ball and finishing with 12 points and 12 assists, her fourth double-double of the season.
“I thought Chelsea’s game was so mature in terms of decision-making and what she created on the floor was outstanding,” McCallie said. “I just think she is one of the best guards in the country.”
All five Blue Devil starters ended the game in double figures, and Peters’ 25 points were a career high.
“You can’t leave Haley alone,” McCallie said. “You can’t leave her. She takes offense to that, she likes to be guarded.”
Duke will advance to its 14th Sweet 16 in the last 15 years, heading to Fresno next weekend for a matchup with three-seed St. John’s.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.