With four minutes left in the first half, an errant Wanisha Smith lob down the court sailed wide of its intended target, Alison Bales. But instead of flying out of bounds, the ball was plucked out of midair underneath the basket by freshman Bridgette Mitchell, who took it and scored with a smooth lay up.
That play was emblematic of the freshman's career night. Mitchell, who shot 10-for-13 from the floor, led No. 1 Duke (27-0, 12-0 in the ACC) to an effortless 73-52 victory over Boston College (12-13, 2-9).
"I was in the right place at the right time-a lot of openings were there," Mitchell said. "My teammates just found me."
Seeming genuinely surprised with her hot hand, Mitchell gave a big smile after each basket, laughing her way to a career-high 20 points. Paired with 10 rebounds, the freshman forward recorded her third double-double of the season-tied for best on the team.
"[Bridgette] did a great job getting to the basket," head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "We found her really well when they were in the zone for just layups."
The Boston College defense struggled all night against Duke's high-powered and lightning-quick offense, which opened the game with a 13-2 run in the first four minutes.
That run ignited a 46-point first half in which the Blue Devils dominated the Eagles all over the court.
"This was one of our best halves-that first half, offensively," Goestenkors said. "We shared the ball really well, we were hitting the ball from inside [and] from outside."
The Eagles switched between zone and man defense throughout the contest, but Duke was able to capitalize against both schemes.
When Boston College showed man coverage, the Blue Devils tried to penetrate and drive to the basket. The Blue Devils utilized their speed and size to score 40 points in the paint, with Bales chipping in nine points and sophomore Carrem Gay putting up 10.
Against the zone, Duke kicked the ball outside, creating wide open looks for Abby Waner and Wanisha Smith, who hit two treys a piece.
Duke's transition game also sparked the offense. The speed of the No. 1 team in the nation caught Boston College off guard, as the Blue Devils turned 20 Eagles' turnovers into 21 points.
"They have one of the best running games I've seen, " Boston College head coach Cathy Inglese said. "That's the fastest I've seen any team get the ball down the court."
In addition to the solid offensive effort, the Blue Devils' ironclad defense-the second best scoring defense in the nation-was as stingy as ever, holding Boston College to a weak 31.7 percent from the field. The Eagles managed a mere 19 field goals in the game-meaning they had more turnovers than made baskets.
With games against rivals Maryland and North Carolina still looming on the schedule, Duke appears poised to continue its unblemished roll through the ACC.
"Overall we're just pleased with the win and ready to move on," Goestenkors said.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.