Stellar efforts by seniors Carrem Gay and Chante Black propelled No. 4 Duke past a surging Boston College 69-58 Monday in Cameron Indoor Stadium, as the Blue Devils avoided squandering another lead and cemented themselves atop the ACC.
A dominating first half in which the Blue Devils (18-2, 6-1 in the ACC) outscored the Eagles 37-21 exemplified the prowess of a successfully implemented full court press.
"It was a really aggressive game. I'm really proud of how we came out in the beginning," head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "Our team had really good leadership and an excellent focus on attacking."
In a swift start to the match, Duke forced 15 miscues from Boston College (17-5, 5-2), which ultimately led to 16 points off turnovers and nine fast-break points in the first half. Even more impressive was the fact that the Blue Devils turned the ball over only five times in the first period and kept Boston College from scoring any points off Duke's mistakes.
Gay was an integral part in fueling Duke's offensive fire, accruing 10 points in the first half and 14 total. With contributions from junior Joy Cheek and Black, the Blue Devil frontcourt controlled the threat of Eagles center Carolyn Swords. The anchoring play of Gay, Cheek and Black allowed the Duke guards to generate clear passing lanes and open shots.
"We were trying to look for the better shot," said Black, who posted 15 points. "We did not force the outside shot."
The second half was a different story. The Blue Devils jumped out to an 18-point lead seven minutes into the second half, but that cushion was dwindled down to only six with four minutes left to play. McCallie abandoned the press and slowed down the offense, hoping to grind out a solid ACC victory. The Eagles took this opportunity to run their own press and force Duke to make mistakes.
"In the first half, we looked scared," Boston College head coach Sylvia Crawley said. "It took us a half to settle down and play hard. In the second half they buckled down, they were determined and played with heart."
Junior guard Mickel Picco led the Eagle rally with 13 second-half points. Ten of those points came with only eight minutes remaining and brought Boston College to within six. With the Eagles drawing dangerously near, reverberations of Duke's overtime loss to Florida State Thursday could be felt on the court.
"We really just want to put teams away," Black said. "We knew that in this game we couldn't blow it-we had to stay up."
And that is exactly what the Blue Devils did-they put Boston College away. Physical defense for the last four minutes caused Boston College to struggle with shot selection and kept the Eagles at a safe distance. Senior Abby Waner closed the door with a 3-pointer with 1:59 left in the game, bringing the lead to nine and forcing the Eagles to intentionally foul. As they have done all season, the Blue Devils knocked down their free throws to seal the victory.
With the win and a Maryland victory over Florida State Monday, Duke is now tied with the Seminoles atop the ACC standings.
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