The fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils beat the Boston College Eagles, 80-56, in front of a crowd of 5,244 in attendance at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. on Sunday.
The Blue Devils extended their unbeaten streak at home against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponents to 34 games led by double-digit performance from five different players.
“Offensively, we were sharp in the first half, a little bit less so in the second,” Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said.
“But overall, I love the offensive balance and productivity.”
Firing on all cylinders
Forward Haley Peters (15 points, 13 rebounds) led all scorers for Duke followed by guards Chloe Wells (13 points, 3 assists), Chelsea Gray (12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists), Tricia Liston (12 points, 4 rebounds), and center Elizabeth Williams (10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists).
Duke finished the game shooting 47 percent (30-64) while outrebounding the Eagles by a 47-28 margin and using its bench to score 22 points.
For Peters, her rebounding performance was indicative of what the team has been trying to do all season.
“I’m just trying to rebound more and more consistently this year,” Peters said.
“It is really important for our team, so that is my primary focus.”
Caging the Eagles
Boston College played a fearless game, staying close with the Blue Devils early on , and were led throughout on the efforts of Kristin Doherty (14 points), Kerri Shields (13 points), and Nicole Boudreau (11 points).
However, the Blue Devils’ defense overpowered the Eagles and enabled the offense to put points up on the board until the final horn sounded.
“What we were able to do was stay with them and withstand some of those streaks,” Eagles head coach Erik Johnson said about his team’s effort against Duke.
“I really believe our team will never quit. That is why you come to Cameron Indoor Stadium, to play at the highest level against the best teams in the country – to learn how to get better.”
Around the bend
Heading into the second half of the ACC schedule, McCallie is happy with her team’s rebounding and assist numbers.
“The good things that really stick out are the 47 rebounds and the 20 assists,” McCallie said.
“The consistency for numbers like this are really important when you continue in the conference. Every conference game is a challenge and very difficult. There are different strengths that different teams have, but you gotta’ come in with ‘the steady’. The steady is sharing the basketball, being great passers. The steady is rebounding, getting O boards and things of that nature. This is a good game for us to get ready for the week.”
The Blue Devils now prepare to host the Miami Hurricanes on Thursday, before traveling to Chapel Hill to take on local rival, the eleventh-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels next Sunday.
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