BECOME A WBA VIP | [ Ссылка ]
DURHAM – Sophomore Shayeann Day-Wilson netted 18 points and junior Vanessa de Jesus added 10 points off the bench to help lead the 16th-ranked Duke women's basketball team to a 66-55 victory over 12th-ranked Virginia Tech Thursday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
In a complete team effort, Duke also received solid contributions from Elizabeth Balogun (nine points, six rebounds, three steals), Celeste Taylor (eight points, five rebounds, two steals) Reigan Richardson (seven points) and Mia Heide (five points, five rebounds).
The Duke (18-2, 8-1 ACC) defense was on full display as it held Virginia Tech to 55 points and 34.7-percent shooting from the field – both checking in as the second-lowest outputs by the Hokies this season. The Blue Devils also forced 17 turnovers, scoring 17 points off those miscues.
Taylor Soule led Virginia Tech (16-4, 6-4 ACC) with a game-high 19 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Duke opened with the game's first seven points then Virginia Tech scored the next five. Kennedy Brown snapped a two-minute drought with a midrange jay to put the home team up by four.
Shortly after, the Blue Devils opened an 18-10 advantage behind a 7-0 run.
After a Virginia Tech three, de Jesus answered with a triple of her own and added a perfect trip at the charity stripe to give Duke a 23-14 lead. At the end of one, the Blue Devils held a 23-17 lead.
The second quarter was tightly contested with Duke leading by as many as nine in the period.
Virginia Tech outscored the home team 15-11 during the 10-minute period, however, and closed the quarter on a 6-0 run to pull within a pair (34-32) at the break.
Offense was at a minimum in the third with the teams combining for 15 total points.
The Hokies took a three-point lead – its first of the game – midway through the third following back-to-back threes from Amoore and King.
Duke answered with a strong finish inside by Richardson and a Heide baby hook to reclaim the 41-40 advantage heading into the fourth.
The Blue Devils extended their advantage to 48-42 after Balogun and Heide combined for seven of the first nine points of the frame.
Duke commanded the fourth quarter, outscoring the Hokies 25-15 in the period.
After Virginia Tech pulled within two, 48-46, midway through the quarter, the Blue Devils used a 10-0 run to extend their advantage to 12 (58-46) and put the game completely out of reach.
GAME NOTES
With the win, Duke moves to 18-2 overall, 8-1 in conference play and 10-0 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke improves to 28-6 all-time against Virginia Tech and snaps a three-game skid to the Hokies.
The Blue Devils have held each of their opponents below their season scoring average, with Virginia Tech's 55 points checking in 19.9 points below its season average.
Two Duke players finished the game in double figures – Day-Wilson (18) and de Jesus (10).
The Blue Devils were plus-eight on the glass (37-29) and outscored the Hokies in the paint (22-16), off the bench (20-7) and on second chance buckets (6-2).
Duke held Virginia Tech to 55 points and 34.7-percent shooting from the field – both checking in as the second-lowest outputs by the Hokies this season.
Duke held the Hokies' 1-2 punch of Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore to just 11 points on 3-of-21 shooting from the field.
The Blue Devils also forced 17 turnovers, scoring 17 points off those miscues.
UP NEXT:
The Blue Devils play three of their next four on the road, beginning with a trip to Tallahassee for a date with No. 24 Florida State on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m., on ACC Network.
To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWBB."
#GoDuke
