LIVE BLOG: Duke 69, BYU 54 (FINAL)

FINAL - Duke 69, BYU 54

Following better performance from Duke in the second half, the Blue Devils come away with their first season victory of the season against a scrappy BYU team.

Final Stats -

BYU - 27 fouls, Duke - 16 fouls. BYU - 20 turnovers to Duke's 22. Duke had 52 total rebounds (35 defensive, 17 offensive) to BYU's 37 (26 defensive, 11 offensive). Duke finished with a 38.6% field goal shooting percentage and 4-11 in three-pointers, while the Cougars finished with 27.9% in field goals and 31% in three-pointers. The Blue Devils led in blocks 8 to 2 but were two under in steals with 9 to BYU's 11. Duke's leading scorer was Karima Christmas, with 20, and leading rebounder was Jasmine Thomas with 11.

Be sure to check out Monday's print edition of the Chronicle for a game recap and an analysis story, as well as pictures!

Duke 69, BYU 52 - 53.1 seconds left in the second half

Jasmine Thomas is substituted out for Jackson, and a shot from inside the paint from Krystal Thomas widens the lead for Duke.

Duke 54, BYU 40 - 5:41 left in the second half

Two made free throws from Wells keeps up the Blue Devil lead, though Duke is having trouble with passing from the outside into the paint. Effective rebounding by Scheer leaves Vernerey with a relatively open shot, but the opportunity passes, as she called for traveling. A couple plays later, and BYU is again charged with a foul, bringing Christmas back to the line to make two consecutive free throws.

Duke 50, BYU 40 - 7:33 left in the second half

In the span of 11 seconds, there have been two missed free throws from Krystal Thomas, followed by a missed jumper from BYU and a mad scramble for the loose ball from both sides. Then two more fouls from Gray (who now has 2) and Christmas (who has 1), leading to Duke's 7th team foul.

Duke 50, BYU 40 - 7:44 left in the second half

Gray goes to the free throw line for the first time tonight and makes one of two. Jasmine Thomas seems to be tonight's defensive standout players, pressing strong on both sides of the court. Her shooting seems to be off, however, with multiple two and three point attempts hitting the rim.

Duke 47, BYU 37 - 9:29 left in the second half

Strong defensive play from Duke prevents the Cougars from taking any shots outside of the paint. A pass to Wells adds a potential two points to the board, but the freshman guard is fouled on her way to a lay-up. She does make a free throw, however. A made three-pointer from Scheer rejuvenates the Duke crowd and increases the Blue Devil lead to double digits for the first time all night.

Duke 43, BYU 37 - 11:43 left in the second half

A three from Duke followed by a three from BYU: The game is definitely very back-and-forth, though turnovers seem to still plague both teams. The Cougars gain their fourth foul of the half.

Duke 40, BYU 34 - 13:30 left in the second half

Speed seems to be in the Blue Devils' favor, as Jasmine Thomas makes an open lay-up after Duke gains possession. A two-point jumper from Christmas is definite evidence of a momentum build-up, though the Cougars are doing their best to retaliate with continued rebounding, strong offensive press and shots from inside the paint. A three-point field goal from the Cougars slows Duke and narrows the lead.

Duke 36, BYU 29 - 15:52 left in the second half

Rapid passing around the perimeter from the Cougars leads to a shooting opportunity for BYU, but a missed ball leads to another rebound for Jasmine Thomas. A foul from Scheer returns possession to the opponents, who are then charged with a foul, giving the ball back to the Blue Devils. A steal from Christmas followed by a lay-up seems to increase the energy for Duke. A trend that seems to be appearing in the second half is fast inbounding and continued strong full-court press from both sides.

Duke 34, BYU 29 - 17:14 left in the second half

The Blue Devils are definitely showing up more in the second half, but the Cougars are quickly upping the tempo, as well, even posting two guards at a time on Jasmine Thomas while inbounding.

Short Halftime Analysis -

The Blue Devils managed to come back with about five minutes left in the first half and gain a slight lead but are definitely not playing at the level of a preseason No. 6 team. The game so far has been characterized by scrappy plays on both sides, as well as strong rebounding by the Cougars. Duke has an abundance of rushed shots, making 25.7% of field goals and going 1-5 in three-point shooting. The Cougars are doing slightly better with 29.0% field goal shooting and 21.4% of three-point shooting. As evidence of the physicality of BYU, the Cougars have 14 fouls to the Blue Devils' 4. Of note, as well, are 13 turnovers from the visitors and 12 by the home team (13 points were gained by the Cougars off of offensive turnovers). (NOTE: Duke averaged 17.7 turnovers per game last year.) If Duke is to keep up its lead, it is crucial that players stop rushing shots, as well as focus more on rebounding (and keeping the ball) and lessening the number of turnovers.

Quick Stats -

#13 Karima Christmas leads in points with 16, significantly more than #4 Chloe Wells' 4 and #33 Haley Peters' 4.

#5 Jasmine Thomas leads in rebounds with 7. She is also 0-7 in field goal attempts and 0-1 in three-point attempts.

Duke is leading in rebounds 31 to 22, as well as in blocks 6 to 1, but are lacking in steals 5 to 7.

Duke 30, BYU 23 - HALFTIME

A blocked over-the-head BYU shot from Gray leads to quick rushing down the court by Wells, who gets fouled right as she approaches the basket. She misses both free throws, leaving the Cougars with the ball, though they air ball a two-point jumper. Multiple missed attempts from both teams keeps the score relatively stalled in the last few minutes of the half. A Duke foul leads to two missed free throws from BYU, and in the last final seconds of the half, a Blue Devil basket extends the lead.

Duke 26, BYU 23 - 2:15 left in the first half

Following a made two-point jumper from the Cougars, BYU is implementing full-court press, but an outside pass to Wells brings the ball quickly down the court, with Jasmine Thomas ready at hand to take the shot, bringing Duke back into the lead. A shot from inside from Wells brings the Blue Devils up by three.

Duke 22, BYU 21 - 4:13 left in the first half

Two Cougars rushing center Allison Vernerey brings the ball back out of bounds. With just over four minutes left, Christmas is again at the line after holding her chest for a brief amount of time. She makes one of two to bring the Blue Devils into the lead.

Duke 21, BYU 21 - 4:36 left in the first half

A foul on Christmas and a made shot from inside the paint gives Duke a chance at tying the game for the first time tonight. And swish.

Duke 18, BYU 21 - 4:59 left in the first half

Coming out of the time out, scrappy play from both sides leads to a scramble and miniature dog pile at the center of the court, as both teams try to gain possession of the ball. The Blue Devils miss two consecutive shots from inside the paint, but freshman Richa Jackson grabs the ball right as it heads toward center court, but misses the following jumper. Wells' size (5-foot-7) proves to be a disadvantage as a cougar player grabs the ball from above her. Duke quickly regains possession of the ball and scores a two, followed by a steal from Wells on the BYU offensive side that gives possession again to the Blue Devils. The Cougars' lead is reduced to three.

Duke 16, BYU 21 - 7:49 left in the first half

Wells hustles down the court and gives Christmas a shooting opportunity, but a missed shot, followed by weak Blue Devil offensive rebounding gives the Cougars the ball back. A few plays later, and Duke is fouled again (bringing BYU's team fouls to 7 to Duke's 2). Freshman Chelsea Gray, McCallie's top recruit last year, is making an appearance in tonight's game following lingering injuries going into the season. Christmas returns to the line following another Cougar foul and brings the Blue Devils closer (1/2 ft made), although they still trail by a significant number.

Duke 13, BYU 16 - 10:10 left in the first half

The freshmen are not delivering as well as they did in their last exhibition game, and the only two players on the board are Christmas (a senior) and Scheer (a junior). A media timeout is called, right as Christmas seems to have lost her left contact lens (or hit her left eye) and is left sitting on the ground for a good 5 seconds. She is back on the court, however, as play resumes, and promptly makes a three-pointer. A blocked shot from Scheer gives the Blue Devils possession again, as Christmas goes for another shot inside the paint but hits the backboard. The Cougars retaliate with a two-point jumper. Scheer overshoots the ball in what may have been a pass over the basket to Jasmine Thomas, who is pushed by a Cougar defender and proceeds to make her free throws.

Duke 8, BYU 12 - 12:36 left in the first half

The Blue Devils are once again falling into the habit of rushing shots and seem to be having trouble with the Cougars, who are proving to be an incredibly scrappy team. A long pass from Christmas goes straight into the student section, and the Cougars gain possession of the ball and proceed to make a three. Two air balls from Liston and Peters keep Duke behind. Liston's two consecutive missed free throws do not help either.

Interesting side note - Freshman Haley Peters is the sister of Duke basketball player Casey Peters.

Duke 8, BYU 9 - 14:02 left in the first half

Extremely physical contact during rebounding on the Blue Devils' last play, where two Duke players shot from inside the paint but both missed. The result was only two Duke players left defending, though BYU failed to capitalize on the opportunity. The game at this point is characterized by multiple fouls, very physical play and missed shots.

Duke 6, BYU 9 - 15:59 left in the first half

The Blue Devils quickly get on the board with Christmas's shot from inside the paint. The Blue Devils seem to have difficulty making buckets, though, with multiple attempts hitting the rim. Another layup from Scheer asserts the Blue Devil momentum and tightens the lead before a foul produces two made free throw attempts from the Cougars. A quick Duke recovery adds a made layup from Christmas, who now has 4 points.

Duke 0, BYU 5 - 17:25 left in the first half

First points of the game go to BYU with a jumper from senior captain Bonham, with the first two minutes full of rebounding from both sides. Another three-pointer from senior Cougar returner Fraughton puts the team up by five. Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie calls a time-out, likely addressing the team's lack of aggressiveness in shooting and moving quickly down the court.

Duke vs. BYU Preview:

The Blue Devils take on the Cougars tonight at Cameron Indoor Stadium, where the student section is filled with many members from the community, as well as students. The Cougars reached the Elite Eight of the NIT last year and returns four starters after two exhibition victories. Duke is coming off of two exhibition victories, as well, and boasts the No. 6 spot in the nation. The Cougars have no shortage of depth, and here's the starting line-up:

BYU:

#3 Jazmine Foreman, #22 Mindy Bonham, #33 Haley Hall, #23 Coriann Fraughton, #35 Kristen Riley

Duke:

#4 Chloe Wells, #5 Jasmine Thomas, #13 Karima Christmas, #24 Kathleen Scheer, #34 Krystal Thomas