By Rob Clough, Photos by Orin Day
17 points and 13 boards from Haley Peters helped Duke avoid the upset, defeating FSU 72-66.
Photo by Orin Day (more below!)
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The Nutshell: This was definitely a "survive and advance" game for Duke, as they frittered away several leads before putting away Florida State down the stretch. The Devils worst enemy was themselves for much of the game, as multiple players bobbled the ball out of bounds, traveled, double-dribbled, etc. Every time it seemed like Duke was going to take control of the game, a dumb turnover would tighten things up in a hurry. Case in point: leading 34-28 with under thirty seconds to go in the first half, Tricia Liston lost control of the ball. FSU's Cheetah Delgado zipped her way down the floor and heaved up a shot from about thirty feet. Swish, and the Noles were down by just 3 at the half.
Duke's defense was soft, forcing just a single turnover. For a team that prides itself on pressure defense and generating much of its offense from turnovers, it was no wonder that the game was so close. Duke built its lead mostly on jump shots, and those dried up in the second half. Of course, Florida State was having its own troubles on offense, as starting guards Alexa Deluzio and Leo Rodriguez combined to go 5-25 from the floor. Despite its problems, Duke seemed to have the game in hand with about nine minutes to go after consecutive baskets from Elizabeth Williams. Duke promptly missed 7 shots in a row as FSU tied the game at 55 with 5:18 left. Duke's been in this situation before and did not panic. After a time-out, coach McCallie went to Duke's bread-and-butter play: running Liston off a screen on the left wing and getting her open for a three. She drained, but was matched by Deluzio at the other end, making it 58-58. Peters twisted her body to stick back a miss by Jackson and then grabbed the rebound from an ill-advised three by Delgado. Alexis Jones then hit Richa Jackson for a perfectly timed cut to give Duke the two-possession lead they needed. Deluzio scored by Jones hit an aggressive runner before Williams tipped the ball to her for the backbreaking steal and runout that made it 66-60. It was free throws all the way down from there as Duke easily dealt with FSU's pressure and ran off a lot of clock in the process. The Seminoles weren't able to get any open looks from long range, and the Devils did just enough to make it to the ACC finals.
Top Performers:
- Tricia Liston, Duke. 17 points, 4 rebounds. 12 of those points came in the second half, including 7 in the last four minutes.
- Haley Peters, Duke. 17 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists. She had 9 points in the first six minutes of the game, triggering Duke's fast start.
- Chelsea Davis, Maryland. 17 points, 3 rebounds. Her ability to score in the paint kept FSU in the game.
Why Duke Won: They turned up the defensive pressure considerably in the second half, forcing 11 FSU turnovers after creating just 1 in the first half. Duke dominated the boards and was able to get more second chance points than the Noles (17-12). Down the stretch, Duke was 8-8 from the foul line, foiling any hope of an FSU comeback.
Why FSU Lost: They got away from making the extra pass and attacking the rim. They also had trouble converting Duke's many turnovers and bad shots into points. Ultimately, they needed all of their primary offensive weapons to be effective in order to win, and Leo Rodriguez' 1-14 shooting performance from the floor (many of those open shots) wound up dooming them.
The Game Turned When...: Elizabeth Williams tipped an inbounds pass to Alexis Jones with just over two minutes left. Jones converted a runout to give Duke a 66-60 lead and complete control of the game.
X-Factor: Bench play. Both squads got a big boost from their reserves. Cheetah Delgado had 6 assists and 9 points, including a heave at the end of the first half. Lauren Coleman made a couple of big shots. For Duke, Chloe Wells was a defensive difference-maker in the second half and did a great job of distributing the ball. Ka'lia Johnson and Allison Vernerey also made some important plays.
Areas For Improvement: Duke was soft on defense in the first half and relied way too much on their jump shooting. Their attempts at getting inside FSU's zone resulted in passes that went straight to FSU players instead of to post players. Duke didn't do much to actually make FSU's zone move until the second half. FSU was just a fraction late on getting to a lot of rebounds.
Ramifications: Duke continues to firm up their case for being the top #2 seed, a case they can solidify by winning the tournament against UNC. FSU will still likely be a #6 seed in the NCAA tourney.
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A pregame pep talk for the FSU band and cheerleaders from Sue Semrau!
FSU Tags: Head Coach Sue Semrau, FSU Cheerleaders, FSU Band |
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There was a funny but scary moment when Lex tripped during pregame warmups
FSU Tags: #3 Alexa Deluzio |
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Sue tries to settle her team as Duke runs out to a 9-0 lead
FSU Tags: Head Coach Sue Semrau |
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Deluzio hits the open corner three that Duke is prone to allowing. 9-3 Devils.
FSU Tags: #3 Alexa Deluzio |
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"Let me make you an offer you can't refuse..."
FSU Tags: Mascot Cimarron |
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It's a cliche to say that a player isn't a freshman at this point, but Alexis Jones did have an upperclass game today.
Duke Tags: #2 Alexis Jones
FSU Tags: #10 Leonor Rodriguez |
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On the FSU bench (this was clapping not praying) *tag corrected*
FSU Tags: Assistant Coach Ronald Hughey |
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If you need a go-to person for reaction on the FSU bench, it's Brooke Wyckoff #protip
FSU Tags: Assistant Coach Brooke Wyckoff |
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Riding your opponent like a small horse apparently is not frowned upon in this establishment!
Duke Tags: #4 Chloe Wells
FSU Tags: #34 Chelsea Davis |
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Delgado launches as the first half horn sounds...
FSU Tags: #5 Cheetah Delgado |
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Buzzer beater!!! Nothing but the bottom of the net for Cheetah, Duke 34-31 at half.
FSU Tags: #5 Cheetah Delgado |
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Duke Pep Band was almost too much for one young fan up front
Duke Tags: Fans |
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Duke SID Lindy Brown and Amy Ufnowski from the ACC make our jobs so much easier. Thank you both!
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