RALEIGH - What a difference a half makes.
With N.C. State shooting lights-out and the Blue Devils looking sluggish on offense, Duke found itself trailing by nine at intermission.
But the No. 4 Blue Devils used outstanding second-half performances from Chante Black and Karima Christmas to pull out a come-from-behind 61-58 overtime win over the Wolfpack Monday in Reynolds Coliseum.
The biggest difference in the two halves was the presence of Black, who had to sit out the last 13:14 of the first half after picking up two early fouls. She was held scoreless and grabbed just one rebound in the opening period, but came back with a vengeance in the second and in overtime by recording a career-high 17 rebounds to go along with 17 points.
"Chante was absolutely outstanding," Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "I know she did not enjoy sitting on the bench most of the first half, and boy, did she make the most of it when she came in for the second half."
Christmas continued her strong play of late, contributing 17 points and numerous hustle plays, including two steals in the extra period that helped Duke (16-1, 4-0 in the ACC) seal the win.
With three minutes remaining in overtime and the game tied at 52, it appeared that the Wolfpack (8-10, 0-3) would take the lead on a fast-break layup by Nikitta Gartrell. But Christmas sprinted back and dived to poke the ball away from Gartrell, which led to a Black layup on the other end. Just one minute later, Christmas snuck behind Gartrell and poked the ball away again. This time, she took the ball all the way herself, converting the layup and giving Duke a five-point lead it wouldn't relinquish.
The Blue Devils turned up their defensive pressure in the second half. After giving up 36 points on 44 percent shooting in the first half, Duke did not allow N.C. State to record a point until almost nine minutes had run off the clock in the second period. The Blue Devils also stopped settling for threes and took the ball to the basket, getting to the line 17 times after the break, as opposed to just twice before.
"We knew we had to attack," Christmas said. "Of course we could take outside shots, but once the fouls started piling up, we knew we had to take it in."
A wild end of regulation saw both teams miss chances to put the game away.
After Shayla Fields, who led the Wolfpack with 20 points, hit a jumper with 29 seconds left to tie the game at 52, Abby Waner had her potential game-winner blocked by Tia Bell. The Wolfpack sprinted down the floor and got a good look on an elbow jumper by Bonae Holston, but Holston's shot rimmed out. Jasmine Thomas grabbed the rebound and was able to get a relatively open look at a 30-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it hit the side of the rim and the game was sent to overtime.
Fortunately for Duke, Black was superb in the second period and overtime and willed the Blue Devils to their 14th straight win.
Black's first half absence was puzzling, given the run N.C. State made, but McCallie thought it was in her team's best interest to keep the star center on the bench.
"How do I say this?" McCallie said. "Given the calls, I needed to keep her out."
And Black made McCallie look prescient, as her presence completely turned around the remainder of the game for Duke.
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