HALFTIME: Connecticut 33, Duke 26

HARTFORD, Conn.—After 20 minutes, the 10th-ranked Blue Devils are keeping within range of No. 2 Connecticut as they seek their first win against the Huskies in eight contests, trailing 33-26 at the XL Center.

With 23 turnovers between the squads in the first half, the key to holding the lead has been protecting the ball.

Connecticut's top scorers, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Breanna Stewart, have powered the Huskies' offense again with 17 combined points. On the Duke side of the floor, senior Elizabeth Williams cracked double-digits in scoring with 10, but it was freshman Azura Stevens who scored seven critical points to keep Connecticut from pulling away after building a nine-point lead.

Here are some observations from the first half:

• Despite missing their first four shots, the Blue Devils jumped out to an early 6-2 lead, capitalizing on four Connecticut turnovers in the first three minutes.
• After the first media timeout, the Huskies dialed up the intensity level on the full-court press and scored several buckets in transition.
• Head coach Joanne P. McCallie called a timeout to stop the bleeding at the 13:01 mark, but the Duke mistakes continued. First, the Blue Devils committed a shot clock violation. Then, on the next possession, Ka'lia Johhnson traveled for Duke's seventh turnover in a four-minute period.
• Duke leads the nation in rebounding margin, but the Huskies have held the edge on the glass so far. Connecticut out-rebounded the Blue Devils 20-16 in the first 20 minutes, including seven offensive rebounds.
• Just as the Huskies were starting to pull away, Stevens stepped up to keep the Blue Devils in the game with a jumper to hold the lead at single digits, a fast-break layup off a Connecticut turnover and a 3-pointer to cut the lead to just three.