With 5:32 left in the second half, Keturah Jackson converted an easy layup, sending the crowd at Cameron Indoor Stadium into a frenzy.
The bench player's basket epitomized the outstanding performance by the Duke reserves, which accounted for 32 of the team's 105 points.
"Our bench did a great job," head coach Gail Goestenkoers said. "They gave us a spark and kept the energy level up. In many instances, they increased the intensity."
One such instance occurred midway through the first half, when the lethargic Blue Devils clung to a 25-18 lead. Over the next five minutes, however, that quickly changed. Bridgette Mitchell and Joy Cheek converted back-to-back jumpers, and after two Cheek free throws, Brittany Mitch buried a three-pointer, giving Duke its first double-digit lead of the game. The sequence was part of a 19-2 Blue Devil run that quickly ended Clemson's upset hopes.
Not only did the Duke reserves raise the energy, but they did so in a variety of ways. Mitchell was a force inside during the second half, grabbing offensive rebound after offensive rebound on her way to a team-high nine boards. Emily Waner, who Goestenkoers said was much more aggressive, created multiple scoring opportunities with her penetration and finished with eight points and four assists.
Mitch turned in arguably the most outstanding bench performance. The freshman logged 23 minutes-almost eight more than her season average-and finished with nine points. More than anything else, however, it was Mitch's precise passing that helped the Blue Devil offense run smoothly.
"It definitely helps my confidence," Mitch said. "I found Carrem a few times, and everything was just flowing."
The strong showing by the Duke backups allowed Goestenkoers to continuously rotate players. The result was that no Blue Devil logged more than 25 minutes, and Mitch and Cheek played more minutes than at least one starter. For Duke, the bench performance last night could pay dividends much later in the season.
The team's depth will most likely prove to be an asset during the NCAA tournament. Since teams have to play games so close together-sometimes only two days apart-having a fresh team is vital.
Perhaps more importantly though, this kind of bench performance could be a huge factor in the Tobacco Road Showdown on Thursday with North Carolina. Above it all, the energy provided by the bench made the game easier for everyone on the Blue Devil roster.
"When everyone's getting into it, it's great for team spirit," Alison Bales said.
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