On senior night in Cameron Indoor Stadium, it was freshman Allison Vernerey who took over the game in the second half to help No. 6 Duke clinch the ACC regular season title with a win over No. 18 Virginia, 83-65.
“This team has been working hard since summer,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “Everyone has done their part. They’ve been steady and consistent…. It’s always special to capture championships—that’s what it’s all about.”
Seniors Joy Cheek, Bridgette Mitchell and Keturah Jackson were honored before the game with their families. In her final regular season home contest, Cheek was an integral part of the win. She hit a jump shot almost immediately after the tip and led the Duke offense in the first half with eight points. However, apart from Cheek, the Blue Devils could not find an offensive rhythm in the first half and had trouble scoring points in the paint.
Both Virginia (21-8, 9-5 in the ACC) and Duke (24-5, 12-2) made it difficult for their opponent to score, forcing one another to take ugly shots, make bad passes and commit shot clock violations. The Blue Devils were focused on shutting down Monica Wright, who came in averaging 22.7 points per game, but she quietly accumulated 15 in the first half. Wright finished with 27 to lead all scorers.
“For the games I’ve seen [Wright] play this year, she’s played the whole game, played the overtimes and she really doesn’t come out that much,” junior Jasmine Thomas said. “She plays hard to the last second. I think that’s what you see reflected in her game, how hard she works.”
The Blue Devils came out in the second half with a new energy, as Vernerey took control in the paint and tallied 11 points in the period. The freshman went 8-of-8 from the field, bringing her point total on the night to 17. Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan called her the difference-maker Friday.
“She gave them separation and that just fueled their defense,” Ryan said. “They were like swarming sharks in water.”
Vernerey’s dominance down low opened up the perimeter for Jasmine Thomas. After hitting only two shots in the first half, Thomas scored 16 points in the second, including three clutch threes. Junior Krystal Thomas notched nine points after halftime and led the Blue Devils with nine rebounds.
With unrelenting defense and a more balanced scoring attack, Duke led Virginia by 20 for much of the final 10 minutes.
“I told them that this second half was the worst half of basketball we’ve had all year,” Ryan said. “It was so bad, it was so beyond one of the worst that I told them just to forget it because there is nothing that’s going to change what happened in the second half tonight.”
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