TALLAHASSEEE, Fla. -- Sheana Mosch's best career performance against Florida State came during her freshman season, when she grabbed 11 rebounds to compliment 12 points. Although she was shy of another double-double Sunday afternoon, Mosch surpassed her previous scoring mark in the first half alone with 15 points, and led Duke to a victory with another nine points in the second half.
Throughout the game, Mosch freed herself from the Seminoles' defense, receiving long passes that allowed the Blue Devils to break Florida State's press, converting the layups for easy scores.
"I got a lot of layups from us running the break," Mosch said. "When we got a rebound we looked down court really well. They weren't getting back on defense a couple of times and I just had a couple of wide open layups."
Scoring inside wasn't all Mosch had going for her Sunday. As a team, Duke hit a season-tying 11 three-pointers in the game, and Mosch was perfect on both of her attempts, the first of which came at a crucial moment.
With 7:05 remaining in the first half, after Florida State had used a three-pointer by Linnea Liljestrand to trim its deficit to 26-16, Alana Beard found Mosch wide open for a three-pointer of her own that she nailed. The shot got the Duke offense going, and its lead never shrunk below 10 points again.
When Mosch wasn't drilling shots, she was feeding other teammates with on-fire shooting touches. With under three minutes left in the half, Mosch helped recover a near Duke turnover, and quickly found Krista Gingrich alone in the corner for a three-pointer, stretching the Blue Devils' lead to 50-32.
Mosch's best basket of the night came just before the end of the first half. After two Florida State free throws, Duke pushed the ball down the court. Iciss Tillis received the ball in the high post, and then fed Mosch, who was cutting inside, for the basket and the foul. It was a perfect end to Mosch's brilliant first-half performance.
Mosch provided a similar hustle and aggressive play in the second half, as she switched up the tempo of her game depending on what the Seminoles gave her. Exuding confidence, Mosch grabbed a long rebound halfway through the second half and raced down court. Facing a Florida State defender under the hoop who expected a driving attempt, Mosch instead pulled up for an easy shot.
Mosch finished the game 9-for-14 from the floor and perfect from the free throw line. On the few occasions that she did miss, Mosch quickly recovered, even in the late stages of the game. After not converting on a jumper with four minutes left in the contest, Mosch quickly moved to the paint to collect the offensive rebound, allowing Duke to set up its offense again. Moments later, Michele Matyasovsky fed Mosch for a baseline shot, and this time she did not miss.
Mosch's exciting performance extended beyond scoring, especially during the second half. She became very active on the boards and in Florida State's passing lanes, recording five rebounds and two steals in the final 20 minutes. she also dished out five assists, and, afterwards, Florida State was in awe.
"Sheana would be a starter on any team in this conference and I know she has been for a very long time at Duke," Florida State coach Sue Semrau. "She's just so smart. She plays within her capabilities, she doesn't try to do more than she is capable of. But when dared to shoot the three, even though she is 1-for-8 in the conference, she put up the first open look we gave her and stuck it. She's a great player."
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