Last Monday, No. 4 Duke saw a double-digit lead crumble against its fiercest rival. The collapse was largely attributed to the Blue Devils' futility on the glass-North Carolina outrebounded them 54-38.
Duke did not let that happen again Friday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils dominated Clemson on the boards en route to a 77-53 win in which they outrebounded the Lady Tigers 50-31. Duke (20-3, 8-2 in the ACC) grabbed 18 offensive rebounds against the second-worst team in the league.
"I'm really pleased about their rebounding stats," said head coach Joanne P. McCallie. "It is so important for us as a team to be dominant on the boards, and everybody in the second half tried to make a difference there.
"It's important because that's what March and April are all about: rebounding, who can get the ball."
The quest for rebounding dominance caused a shakeup in Duke's starting lineup. Bridgette Mitchell started for the first time this year, replacing starter Joy Cheek in the team's first five. Mitchell contributed eight points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes.
"We try to mix up the lineup a lot," McCallie said. "[Mitchell] is a finisher, and she gives us a lot of lift. She's a tough kid, and somebody that can rebound. That was her only job today-to go get the ball."
While the Blue Devils did an excellent job rebounding, their size created an advantage that was obvious from the start.
6-foot-5 Chante Black and 6-foot-4 Krystal Thomas spent the majority of the game as the tallest players on the court. They both dropped 16 points, tied for most on the team. The points total was a season high for Thomas, a sophomore.
"We just wanted to come out and dominate the game," said Black, who added seven rebounds. "We know that we're a good team, and we wanted to show Clemson that this is our house."
It didn't take long for Clemson (13-13, 2-9) to recognize whose house it was in.
Duke stormed out of the gate, scoring the first six points of the game, and went up 28-12 after only 10 minutes.
A flurry of forced turnovers had the Blue Devils up 35 at halftime. The Tigers were done, though, long before then.
Senior Abby Waner made sure of that. On the very first play of the game, Waner hit a wide-open Mitchell with a bullet pass for an easy layup. Waner would be the catalyst early for Duke, recording three steals and three assists in the first six minutes.
In the process, she made a little history, too.
At the 14:24 mark, Waner, off a pass from Jasmine Thomas, connected on a 3-pointer. It was the 203rd of her career, which set Duke's career record for most 3-point conversions.
"I didn't know that. What was the record, attempts?" said Waner, poking fun at her propensity for shooting. "It's an honor anytime you make a record here at Duke, but more than anything, it's just a number in the record book. People remember Final Fours and championships."
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