For the second consecutive game, the Blue Devils controlled the paint and used a huge run late in the first half to get an easy win at the Paradise Jam.
No. 2 Duke dominated Central Michigan 97-64 on Friday at the University of Virgin Islands Sport and Fitness Center in St. Thomas. As has become the norm, the Blue Devils had balanced scoring—with six players in double figures—and dominated inside, holding a 44-16 advantage in points in the paint and a 53-33 edge rebounding.
"I thought we got better as a team," head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "The 53 rebounds were strong, [we were] really boarding hard. We got to the free-throw line more, [and] we had 24 assists. Overall, it was a better team game."
The game changed with the Chippewas leading Duke 22-21 with 9:37 left in the first half after Central Michigan senior guard Niki DiGuilo made a long jumper for her 13th point of the contest.
The Blue Devil defense tightened up, focusing on DiGuilo and Central Michigan’s leading scorer, junior guard Crystal Bradford. With DiGuilo and Bradford neutralized, the Chippewas were helpless as the Blue Devils dominated the paint and finished the first half on a 28-8 run to take a 49-30 lead into the locker room.
"[DiGuilo] was the X-factor for them," McCallie said. "We did not respect her game enough and were maybe over-focused on [Bradford]. We just got back to basics, got ourselves focused and went from there."
The Blue Devils (7-0) were led offensively in the first half by senior guards Tricia Liston and Chelsea Gray. Liston, Duke’s leading scorer, put in 15 first-half points, including three 3-pointers, and Gray hit some timely early jumpers and facilitated for her teammates, finishing with nine points and four assists in the first frame.
Gray finished the game with 11 points and nine assists and Liston finished with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting and led the Blue Devils with 11 rebounds, recording her first double-double of the season.
"She's got so many parts to her game," McCallie said. "She's very Larry Bird-esque. She can do it all, and if you focus on her just as a shooter, you're really selling her short. She lets the game come to her."
After suffering the wrath of Gray and Liston towards the end of the first half, the Chippewas (1-4) got blitzed by another Blue Devil run early in the second half. Junior forward Elizabeth Williams and sophomore guard Alexis Jones took advantage of Duke’s spacing, finishing with 14 points apiece, and the Blue Devils went ahead 62-32 with 15:21 left in the game after a Jones 3-pointer.
Almost all of Duke’s active players saw extended playing time in the rout and took advantage. Senior guard Chloe Wells chipped in 10 points and five assists off the bench and freshman forward Oderah Chidom recorded the first double-double of her career, finishing with a career-high 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Chidom and fellow freshman forward Kendall McCravey-Cooper have made the most of their opportunities lately. Although McCravey-Cooper struggled from the field against the Chippewas, she blocked three shots and snagged five rebounds.
McCravey-Cooper has found her niche as Duke’s best interior defender off the bench, allowing Williams, who blocked four shots on Friday, to play more aggressively knowing Duke has enough depth off the bench to replace her even if she gets into foul trouble.
"Kendall was very aggressive," McCallie said. "I was just pleased to see her be so quick to the ball. Offensively, [even though] she was 2-of-10, I liked how she was taking it to the basket. I liked the experience she gained on the block."
Even without leading rebounder Haley Peters, who is resting an injured right knee but dressed for the game, Duke has not missed a beat. McCravey-Cooper, Chidom and redshirt freshman forward Amber Henson have picked up the slack inside for the Blue Devils in the absence of their senior leader.
In Duke’s final game at the Paradise Jam, the Blue Devils will try to take advantage of their depth for the third consecutive game against Kansas (5-1) on Saturday afternoon.
"Only special teams can really play outstanding three games in a row," McCallie said. "That will be our focus, trying to have a nice crescendo to this experience here."
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