Judging by their faces after the game, the Blue Devils seemed as if the Hokies handed them their first loss of the season.
Although Duke may have added to its undefeated streak, the team left Cameron Indoor Stadium with an air of disappointment, largely due to its performance in the first half.
With a little over eight minutes left before halftime, the Blue Devils found themselves in unfamiliar territory, trailing by 11 points, their largest deficit of the season. Duke seemed unable to click on offense, giving up seven turnovers in the first 12 minutes of the game.
After a grueling three-game road trip, the Blue Devils were not able to reap the benefits of their home-court advantage, as the crowd was taken out of the game in the opening minutes by the team's poor play.
Facing the possibility of its first conference loss, Duke turned to its bench in desperation after the starting lineup failed to match its typical success that it had been used to all season long.
Fortunately for Duke, freshman Joy Cheek responded and provided the spark that the Blue Devils seemed to lack from the opening tip. Fighting her way in the paint against the significantly taller Virginia Tech defenders, Cheek scored two straight layups, pulling Duke within seven points of the Hokies with six minutes remaining in the first half.
"I thought Joy was attacking with the ball," head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "She had two real nice drives to the basket, and she didn't have as much size but she can take the ball."
From that moment on, the Blue Devils' defense began to revert back to form, with its full court press forcing two quick Virginia Tech turnovers.
The uncharacteristically quiet crowd finally rejoined the game thanks to a three-pointer by junior Wanisha Smith. After senior Lindsey Harding pulled down an offensive rebound, sophomore Abby Waner found an open Smith at the top of the key, ready to take the shot.
With five and a half minutes left in the period, Waner forced another turnover, stealing the ball from Copeland and racing down the length of the court. She drove hard into the lane, converting on a three-point play and earning Duke's first lead of the game since the first four minutes.
The Blue Devils never faced another deficit, ending the half 39-33, a lead they would build on to open the second half.
While Duke may feel a sense of relief that it was able to battle back and secure the victory, the Blue Devils hardly resembled the team that began the season blowing out their opponents. In the last two weeks, the Blue Devils' average margin of victory has only been 10 points-granted, one of those opponents was Tennessee.
With a difficult conference schedule, including two games against North Carolina and a rematch with Maryland, breakout performances from bench players like Cheek will be crucial to sparking the Blue Devils down the long stretch.
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