Swish Appeal: All Posts by Emily WakemanBasketball is basketball.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49391/swish-fave.png2017-03-04T00:22:26-05:00https://www.swishappeal.com/authors/emily-wakeman/rss2017-03-04T00:22:26-05:002017-03-04T00:22:26-05:00ACC Tournament: Duke advances past Syracuse
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<img alt="NCAA Womens Basketball: Duke at Notre Dame" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hXJR8gIsubm4p-Tb5oJz5MAXQAM=/0x0:3779x2519/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53530135/usa_today_9840277.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>In a top-25 matchup, No. 13 Duke faced off against No. 21 Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the ACC Conference Tournament. The first 2 quarters were tight, but out of intermission, the Blue Devils took off and never looked back.</p> <p id="VzyZNx"><strong>Conway, SC —</strong> Lexie Brown and the No. 13 Duke Blue Devils crushed the No. 21 Syracuse Orange 68-46 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.</p>
<p id="43JHXX">ACC Player of the Year Alexis Peterson was no match for Brown, who commanded the court and finished the game with 23 points. Brown had three triples and seven field goals. Peterson struggled on the night, as she scored a mere nine points, on 4-21 (0-7 from deep). </p>
<p id="h1GcB2">“She's an elite player, one of the best in the country, and she's just working on her game,” Duke Head Coach Joanne McCallie said about Brown. “Always trying to get better, great work ethic, pushes her teammates, and just has a great intensity about her.” </p>
<p id="SNelxl">Gabby Cooper led the Orange as the game commenced, scoring the first points of the game with a three-pointer. But Cooper was just getting started with this shot, finishing the game with six three-pointers —four in the first half alone. </p>
<p id="0j6LST">While Cooper fired up Syracuse in the first quarter, the Blue Devils were struggling offensively with eight turnovers in the first quarter. Rebecca Greenwell gave Duke a slim lead in the first period, but the Orange stayed on their tails by taking advantage of the Blue Devil’s turnovers. </p>
<p id="6KBb14">Syracuse took a slim lead with only seconds left on the clock in the opening stanza, but Brown changed the momentum of the game in favor of the Blue Devils in the last minute of the quarter as she scored almost at will. </p>
<p id="qkaqez">Three-pointers continued to characterize the offensive approach for both teams in the second quarter with two from Cooper and two from Brown. Cooper was finishing shot after shot, but it wasn’t enough without Alexis Peterson on her A game, to steal the lead. However, even with Peterson not hitting shots, Duke was not able pull away in the first half, up 29-26 at intermission. </p>
<p id="wes7QY">Duke started off the third period with another turnover, but Syracuse could not make their shot fall on the other end. The Orange was shooting at a 22% accuracy in the third quarter.</p>
<p id="rURHTF">“So it's one of those things where you can't blame it on anything but us not making shots, and we got the looks that we wanted,” Syracuse Head Coach Quentin Hillsman said.</p>
<p id="JThb9x">The Blue Devils began to pull away when Cooper finished a jumper which gave Duke a six-point lead. Oderah Chidom built on this momentum with multiple shots that made her the leading scorer for the Blue Devils in the third stanza. </p>
<p id="WdfrTE">Brown went off again, owning the court offensively and defensively, landing a three-pointer for Duke, then stealing the ball back from Syracuse. </p>
<p id="wHzEnB">A layup by Peterson brought the Orange within three points of the Blue Devils in the last minutes of the third, but the Blue Devils took off on a scoring streak that sent them into the fourth quarter with a 51-39 lead. </p>
<p id="tGaqv3">As the final quarter commenced, both teams experienced a two-and-a-half-minute scoring drought. Briana Day ended the drought with two free throws for the Orange.</p>
<p id="TxK36k">But it was no match for Brown, who brought her point total to 20 points early in the fourth quarter with a three-pointer. On the night, she had a game-high 22 points. Cooper brought her scoring total to 18 points in the fourth quarter with her sixth three-pointer of the night. </p>
<p id="4aOV5v">Unfortunately, Peterson only tallied 9 points, which ended her streak of scoring in double-digits. The absence of Peterson’s scoring was even more evident as Syracuse posted the lowest scoring total all season with only 46 points. </p>
<p id="FetPMF">The Blue Devils propelled themselves into the semi-finals with a 68-46 victory over the Orange. Duke will face Miami in the semifinals on Saturday at 2 p.m. E.T.</p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/ncaa/2017/3/4/14811400/acc-tournament-duke-crushes-syracuseEmily Wakeman2017-02-03T03:30:02-05:002017-02-03T03:30:02-05:00Blue Devils pound Tigers
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<img alt="NCAA Womens Basketball: South Carolina at Duke" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XQ_inbA5m0KDRJGCuyz1UNWdgbU=/0x0:3600x2400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53071465/usa_today_9724870.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Last game, Clemson snagged its first conference win this season over Georgia Tech and looked to carry that momentum against No. 15 Duke. However, the Tigers struggled to score against the Blue Devils, shooting only 28% from the field while Duke shot 48%.</p> <p id="MCgroI"><strong>Durham, NC —</strong> The Clemson Tigers couldn’t take the heat at the Cameron Indoor Stadium against the Duke Blue Devils on Thursday night. The Blue Devils commanded a 65-37 victory. </p>
<p id="ZNi8Td">The Tigers struggled to get points on the board as the game commenced against the No. 15 Blue Devils. The layup from Alivah Collier, rebounding leader for Clemson, was the only two points for the Tigers for the majority of the first quarter. </p>
<p id="Ic0Jdj">As Clemson struggled offensively, Duke cleaned up the court in the first minutes of the game with Rebecca Greenwell and Lexie Brown both finishing with a three-pointer. The Blue Devils defense also dominated with four steals in the first quarter, compared to zero from the Tigers.</p>
<p id="82xfNM">However, Clemson’s offense warmed up as the first quarter ticked down with Jaia Alexander ending the scoring drought for the Tigers by draining a three-pointer. The Tigers finished the first period hanging onto the Blue Devils lead 17-9.</p>
<p id="EzNj3f">“We switched off some things, we tried to put as much pressure on Lexie Brown as we could, and [Rebecca] Greenwell and we said ‘We don’t want them taking a lot of shots’ and we can make other players take shots then we are good,” head coach for Clemson Audra Smith said. </p>
<p id="LTbkAI">Clemson’s plan seemed to be working as the Tigers were shooting a better percentage from the field with an accuracy of 36% from the field, while Duke was at 35%. Other players outside of the Blue Devil’s leading scorers had to take shots that were not falling.</p>
<p id="9sMEL9">Unfortunately for the Tigers, that defensive plan wouldn’t last long, as Greenwell and Brown found a way to score and expanded the lead for the Blue Devils. By the end of the second quarter, Greenwell had scored 13 points, and Brown had scored nine points. </p>
<p id="W6VgUb">The leading scorers for the Tigers were Aliyah Collier with six points, and Alexander with seven points.</p>
<p id="Mufrku">The low scoring half ended with a Blue Devil lead, 34-20. </p>
<p id="n7PlJc">As the third quarter started, the Tigers consistently matched the Blue Devils in completed field goals, working hard to erase their first half deficit. Victoria Cardaci completed her second three-pointer of the night, putting the first points on the board for the Tigers.</p>
<p id="GXUbAG">“I think we got that lead and we just wanted to keep it instead of extend it,” Brown said. “We just had to fix that mentality, and we did in the second half.”</p>
<p id="5io4m0">However, the Blue Devils went on an 8-0 run in the middle of the third quarter to yet again, separate Duke and Clemson. Nelly Perry, the leading scorer for Clemson, ended the run with a lay-up to stop the bleeding. </p>
<p id="bNwHRm">Kyra Lambert stole the ball from the Tigers with four minutes left in the third stanza, taking it down the court for her first points of the night. The lay-up would be the only two points of the game for Lambert, who is one of the leading scorers for the Blue Devils. </p>
<p id="XyleyQ">Despite the Blue Devils falling into a scoring drought with Clemson, the Blue Devils still held an 18-point lead going into the final 10 minute of the contest, 46-28.</p>
<p id="AKFTcD">After a quiet third period, Greenwell got going again as the Tigers could not find a way to stop her. She knocked down shot after shot, bringing her game total to 21 points by the conclusion of the contest.</p>
<p id="eUgeh6">Alongside Greenwell carrying the offense, the Blue Devils maintained a defense heavy strategy for the remainder of the quarter, with Chidom stealing the ball and taking it down the court for a lay-up late. At the end of the night, Duke had come away with 13 steals, as compared to Clemson’s seven.</p>
<p id="HeBkxi">The final four minutes of the competition came to a halt for both teams, as neither connected on a field goal. Regardless of both teams struggling to connect from the field, the Blue Devils reigned supreme with a 65-37 win, continuing their 12 game winning streak at home in the Cameron Indoor Stadium.</p>
<p id="kdz84E">Up next, the Blue Devils will travel to face Virginia on Sunday at 1 p.m. EST. The Tigers will face North Carolina at home on Sunday at 2 p.m. EST.</p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/ncaa/2017/2/3/14493534/clemson-lackluster-offense-visible-loss-dukeEmily Wakeman2017-01-22T16:31:25-05:002017-01-22T16:31:25-05:00Monumental victory for McGraw
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<figcaption>Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Despite 37 combined points from Paris Kea and Stephanie Watts, the Tar Heels could not overcome their lackluster first half performance and fell 77-55 to Notre Dame at home.</p> <p id="OWTepP"><strong>CHAPEL HILL, N.C. —</strong> North Carolina had the best player on the floor today against No. 6 Notre Dame — but their terrible 2nd quarter would lead to the Tar Heels’ demise. </p>
<p id="3tjzyE">The Fighting Irish clinched a very dominant 77-55 victory against North Carolina at Carmichael Stadium on Sunday after an extended road trip.</p>
<p id="cdSd8b">The game was the last of a long leg of away games for the Irish, who had played their last 10 of 12 games away from Purcell Pavilion. However, the Tar Heels came out with a momentum that showed the work was not over yet. </p>
<p id="GvuDxE">Notre Dame quickly took the lead in the first minutes of the game at 9-4 with Lindsay Allen and Marina Mabrey shooting layups and a 3-pointer. </p>
<p id="lECCia">However, Paris Kea kept the Fighting Irish from pulling away by scoring two field goals in the first three minutes. She continued the momentum throughout the first half, scoring 17 points. </p>
<p id="UEEr8a">“Well, Kea was a huge problem. She had 17 of their 27 points at halftime. We had no answer for her,” Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said. “She is a really, really talented player and with her agility playing anything one through four was a really tough matchup for us.”</p>
<p id="BS7GhL">Kea changed the momentum for the Tar Heels in the first quarter when she stole the ball from Allen and took it up the court for a layup that put the Heels in the lead at 12-11. After the 6-0 run from Carolina, Brianna Turner completed a field goal, which put Notre Dame back in the lead by one point. </p>
<p id="2MRQLt">Kea and Jamie Cherry continued to make the shots that kept North Carolina in the game, but it was not enough to drive the Tar Heels to the lead. Arike Ogunbowle scored a 3-pointer and a layup in the last minutes of the quarter, giving Notre Dame a 24-21 lead when the first came to a close. </p>
<p id="fVC5yj">As the second quarter commenced, Notre Dame took off on a scoring streak against the Tar Heels, scoring 14 points off turnovers and 13 points from fast break shots. Mabrey and Turner were the leading scorers for the Fighting Irish, commanding a combined 20 points at the end of the first half. Notre Dame scored a total of 23 points during the second quarter, with the Tar Heels only scoring six. </p>
<p id="GTzcLf">“Probably the second quarter a lot of transition,” Turner said when talking about the scoring streak from Notre Dame. “We are really good in transition, so just getting rebounds and running the floor.”</p>
<p id="z26fDU">A key contributor to the breakaway lead for the Irish was the absence of Stephanie Watts, the leading scorer for the Tar Heels who ranks second in the ACC with an average 18.8 points per game. Watts only scored one point for the entire first half. </p>
<p id="ult53T">The Tar Heels, who could not make any of their shots fall, entered halftime trailing Notre Dame 47-27. However, Watts came onto the court after her slow first half fired up with a momentum that led her to score seven points in the first three minutes of the third quarter.</p>
<p id="Z2SyW1">Patberg and Turner reciprocated Watt’s energy on the returns by completing layups that brought the score to 53-35. Turner continued her momentum with two layups after Allen received a free throw. However, Kea, who was essential to the Tar Heel success in the first half, was an absent scorer in the third, not completing her first field goal until the end of the quarter.</p>
<p id="LQwTsD">The Tar Heels went on a scoring streak in the third quarter, which led to the Tar Heels outscoring the Irish by twp points. North Carolina shot 18 points, while Notre Dame only completed 16. </p>
<p id="CsAskh">Watts scored a 3-pointer that closed the gap to below 20 for the first time since the second quarter at 59-40. Cherry followed with a 3-pointer that gave North Carolina their sixth of the game, while Notre Dame had five.</p>
<p id="YhIISv">The fourth quarter opened with a 63-45 lead for the Irish. </p>
<p id="AWPSug">In the first part of the fourth quarter, Notre Dame had scored six points while the Tar Heels hadn’t put any points on the board. Notre Dame maintained their lead at 69-47 with less than six minutes left in the game.</p>
<p id="2QMOYA">With under a minute left to play, Kea stole the ball and took it down the court for a layup, giving her the last basket of the game. </p>
<p id="0UelFA">Kea and Watts were the leading scorers for the Tar Heels, scoring 23 and 14 points, respectively.</p>
<p id="c9hNqc">Turner, the leading scorer for Notre Dame with a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds, helped secure the Irish a 77-55 victory that brought Notre Dame’s long string of away games to a close. </p>
<p id="qbjuJq">The Tar Heels will travel south to take on No. 14 Miami Thursday at 7 p.m. EST. Notre Dame will face Duke at home Thursday at 7 p.m. EST.</p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2017/1/22/14351838/unc-fight-notre-dame-prevailsEmily Wakeman2017-01-19T23:49:13-05:002017-01-19T23:49:13-05:00Speak of the Blue Devil
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<figcaption>Duke Athletics</figcaption>
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<p>Not many probably anticipated a blowout victory for No. 15 Duke over No. 17 Virginia Tech. But in an 84-59 win over the Hokies, and despite the small gap in rankings, Lexie Brown and the Blue Devils dominated in nearly every category.</p> <p id="LbjO0g"><strong>Durham, N.C. — </strong>No. 15 Duke, much in part to Lexie Brown’s thunderous performance, led the Blue Devils to an 84-59 victory against the No. 17 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies tonight (Jan. 19) in Cameron Indoor Stadium.</p>
<p id="md1rL7">Brown finished the game with 29 points and a new ACC record of 62 straight made free throws over the span of this season. Even Hokies sophomore Regan Magarity, the only ACC player averaging a double-double in points and rebounds this season, was no match for Brown.</p>
<p id="Hi0omo">“I have been doing a lot of meditating,” Brown said. “The past couple of games haven’t been my best games, but my teammates gave me all of the confidence in the world in the first quarter, and I just took that and went with it.”</p>
<p id="qe1MG0">Brown’s free throw record wasn’t the only record set during the game, but her perfect 6-6 mark from the charity stripe tonight was part of a record-setting 17-17 clip as a team. This was good for a new school record and came up just shy of the ACC record.</p>
<p id="S7sSAN">As the game commenced, it appeared it was going to be a battle down to the wire for the two closely ranked teams. The No. 15 Blue Devils took the court fired up against the No. 17 Hokies. Duke’s Leaonna Odom completed the first field goal of the game and Brown followed suit with back-to-back layups.</p>
<p id="HCONIN">However, Sidney Cook and Samantha Hill put Virginia Tech close behind the Blue Devils within the first minutes of the game. Following the momentum set by her teammates, Chanette Hicks connected on a shot that put the Hokies out in front for the first time.</p>
<p id="IcHssm">Virginia Tech retained this lead for the remainder of the first quarter, giving Duke a sense of déjà vu after a 55-52 loss to North Carolina State on Sunday, Jan. 15. </p>
<p id="1c8srl">The Blue Devils’ Rebecca Greenwell was slow for the entire first half of the game, only landing three points in the first 20 minutes. This stat line stood in stark contrast to her previous performances as the leading scorer for Duke.</p>
<p id="lyVC88">Brown carried her team throughout the first quarter, finishing with nine points, but the Hokies maintained a 21-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.</p>
<p id="4sIury">However, the Blue Devils came back after the timeout looking to redeem themselves. Brown and Kendall Cooper scored a combined nine points in the first minutes of the second quarter that put Duke back in the lead, 25-24, after hardly leading in the first.</p>
<p id="JnwUz5">The Blue Devils dominated in the second quarter and ended the half with a mere one turnover — a season low — while forcing seven Virginia Tech turnovers.</p>
<p id="RqhndH">Cook ended the nearly four-minute drought for the Hokies at the end of the second quarter with a layup to bring the score to 38-32 and head into the break with a six-point deficit to bounce back from.</p>
<p id="pPr1Nj">Duke took off on a scoring streak to open the third quarter, scoring 16 points in what felt like a brief amount of time. And for the Hokies, they were not clicking offensively and found themselves in an even deeper hole at the start of period three.</p>
<p id="9zNnHr">“If we don’t handle every situation right every time, things can escalate on you,” Virginia Tech Head Coach Kenny Brooks said. “And that’s what happened tonight.”</p>
<p id="Ioprj7">Although Duke continued to dominate on the offensive side of the ball, Virginia Tech team leaders Cook and Magarity both landed layups that put the Hokies back on the board in the third quarter.</p>
<p id="pud71G">It wasn’t until Kendyl Brooks entered the game for the Hokies that Virginia Tech was able to come up for air. She drained three consecutive three-pointers that gave the Hokies points they desperately needed. Unfortunately, her contributions weren’t enough as the third quarter came to a close with Duke leading 67-45. </p>
<p id="37ABNh">Virginia Tech’s Margarity achieved another double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, but as a team, the Hokies couldn’t keep up with the shooting accuracy of the Blue Devils despite a slow fourth quarter for both squads. </p>
<p id="LM3xRM">In addition to Brown’s 29 points for Duke, Kyra Lambert and Greenwell were the two others to finish in double-figures with 10 and 18 points, respectively. As a team, the Blue Devils shot just below 51 percent from the field and were 7-12 from beyond the arc.</p>
<p id="E4kV6L">Duke will hit the road this week to face Boston College on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 2 p.m. EST. Virginia Tech will face Florida State on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 12 EST.</p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/ncaa/2017/1/19/14332294/lexie-brown-duke-virginia-techEmily Wakeman2017-01-13T00:00:01-05:002017-01-13T00:00:01-05:00Tar Heels can’t keep up with Duke
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<img alt="NCAA Womens Basketball: South Carolina at Duke" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eYoWrTU3cBjjowsAqz6jn8QFP88=/0x0:3600x2400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52730775/usa_today_9724865.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Duke and North Carolina is one of the most popular rivalries in the country. Tonight the Blue Devils walked away with the victory and bragging rights until the two meet again.</p> <p id="6vk8tj"><strong>Durham, NC —</strong> It is a rivalry as old as tobacco road itself: Duke v. UNC. The tension and excitement vibrated within the Cameron Indoor Stadium as the No. 12 Duke Blue Devils faced the UNC Tar Heels on Thursday, Jan. 12<sup>th</sup>. The Blue Devils did not disappoint the fans in the packed stadium as they walked away victorious over the Tar Heels, 70-58.</p>
<p id="TeQthK">“I just think we had more energy,” said Duke junior Lexie Brown. “I think we were playing for each other a little bit more. I think at Florida State; they kind of punched us first and we didn’t really know how to react to that… I think we learned a lot from that game.” </p>
<p id="DBmzcv">North Carolina sophomore Paris Kea, entered the Blue Devils stadium with a cool confidence as she set the momentum for her team, scoring the first seven points for the Tar Heels. </p>
<p id="9pGQU2">“I have wanted to play here since I was little,” said Kea. “…I had a whole bunch of energy building up, so it felt great.”</p>
<p id="dyZqxu">Duke senior Kendall Cooper, reciprocated Kea’s aggressive playing when pulled down an offensive rebound and immediately put it back up to score her first points of the game. </p>
<p id="t9tllk">The first five minutes of the game produced five lead changes. Leaona Odom was able to propel Duke into the lead in the first quarter by landing a free throw and layup. However, North Carolina trailed close behind as Hillary Fuller finished a field goal. Fuller was the first Tar Heel to score other than Kea. </p>
<p id="2PUskS"> The Blue Devils and Tar Heels seemed evenly matched as the first period ticked down, however, Lexie Brown used her quickness and efficiency in passing to keep Duke in the lead. However, on the other end, North Carolina’s Stephanie Watts used her own speed to burst past the Blue Devils defense for back to back layups near the end of the period to regain the lead for her team. </p>
<p id="XF8Iob">Not to be outdone, Duke’s Oderah Chidom matched Watt’s momentum by also scoring back to back layups at the end of the opening stanza. Duke would get the last lead in the opening period, 18-17, after knocking down their last three field goals before the buzzer went off at the conclusion of the first period. </p>
<p id="d8csjz">Rebecca Greenwell, the leading scorer for the Blue Devils, propelled herself into action by scoring her first points of the game during the second quarter. With her added offense, the Blue Devils were able to pull away from their rivals. </p>
<p id="z1G1bq">Suddenly, the speed of the game changed as Brown led Duke’s scoring surge. North Carolina tried, but fell into a scoring drought as shot after shot rimmed own. As the teams entered intermission, the Blue Devils found themselves with a comfortable 36-21 lead.</p>
<p id="D9xqj4">“In the second quarter we shut the gaps down,” said Duke Head Coach Joanne McCallie. “They gapped us pretty well in the first quarter; you saw that one-point margin. I thought the second quarter we started to pick it up.”</p>
<p id="1qmzmX">As the third quarter began, Duke continued to dictate the game, increasing their lead to 42-24 within the first minutes of the quarter. Brown completed a three-pointer sending the crowd to their feet as the momentum of the game remained with the home team. </p>
<p id="YGCiWh">Kea and Jamie Cherry continued to display aggressive playing, yet North Carolina was unable to make any returns with yet another scoring drought of two and a half minutes in the first three minutes of the quarter – falling behind even more.</p>
<p id="EgGvs3">Taylor Koenen would get the Tar Heels’ offense again by draining a basket and capping the possession off with a free-throw. Building off this momentum, Watts and Cherry brought North Carolina closer to the Blue Devils, 45-31.</p>
<p id="nWn81Z">Coming out of a timeout, Kea and Brown continued to go head to head against one another with their aggression. Brown would drain her second triple of the game to spark Duke on another run, as they knocked down their next three field goals. The home team extended their lead to 55-38 near the closing minutes of the third quarter. </p>
<p id="eQbQrb">Both North Carolina and Duke’s offenses were locked in during the third as both teams went on to score 21-points. Unfortunately for Duke, their last six field goals were missed, which dropped their overall scoring percentage to 43%. At the buzzer for the third stanza, Tar Heels Fuller, sliced and diced through the Blue Devils defense to score a lay-up to cut down their deficit entering the final period, 57-42. </p>
<p id="ARQkYL">Leaonna Odom came to life in the middle of the last 10 minutes, scoring back to back layups, prompting North Carolina to call a timeout and stop Duke’s momentum. Watts attempted to close the gap when she scored a three-pointer, yet she was no match for Odom who once again scored back to back layups.</p>
<p id="yfC4K7">As much as they tried, the Tar Heels could not keep up with the Blue Devils as they held onto a substantial 65-48 advantage.</p>
<p id="LQUalg">The excitement was felt throughout Cameron Stadium as Duke secured a 70-58 victory. The Blue Devils will face Virginia Tech Thursday, Jan 19 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Tar Heels will go up against Pitt on Thursday, Jan 19 at 2:00 p.m. ET.</p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/ncaa/2017/1/13/14260294/duke-punches-blue-devils-rivals-uncEmily Wakeman2017-01-03T00:30:02-05:002017-01-03T00:30:02-05:00Lexie Brown shines down the stretch
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<img alt="NCAA Womens Basketball: South Carolina at Duke" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EEOSiJDC-9jW4AiyOZKFLnI_ve0=/0x0:3600x2400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52564599/usa_today_9724868.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>It was anybody’s game in Cameron Indoor Stadium when No. 8 Louisville came to town for the ACC opener. The No. 13 Blue Devils pulled out a nail biter over the Cardinals to move to 13-1 on the year and 1-0 in conference play.</p> <p id="PvwllH"><strong>Durham, NC — </strong>It was a game of tug of war, featuring 16 lead changes, when No. 8 Louisville faced No. 13 Duke in the first ACC matchup of the season on Monday night (Jan. 2) at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It came down to the final minutes of the game in which the Blue Devils were victorious with a 58-55 triumph. </p>
<p id="7W6Eql">“You have to be able to win ugly,” Duke Head Coach Joanne McCallie said. “You have to be able to make things happen when things are not looking very pretty, so this was not a pretty game.”</p>
<p id="Pztt9y">Coming off a monumental comeback against Syracuse on December 29<sup>th</sup>, the Cardinals were unable to replicate their momentum in the first minutes of the game against the Blue Devils when Oderah Chidom, star senior for Duke, scored the first points of the game.</p>
<p id="NJlnKF">Both teams appeared equally matched with the score tied at 9-9 with 3:50 left in the first quarter. However, the Blue Devil’s momentum slowed down after making a strong start as they only made six more shots throughout the remainder of the first half.</p>
<p id="AX9zyB">Tension was high at the end of the first quarter when Louisville’s Asia Durr fouled Rebecca Greenwell. Greenwell started making her way to the free throw line, however, she was not awarded one. The first quarter ended with Duke leading 15-12.</p>
<p id="kaA2Ci">As the second quarter opened, Sam Fuehring set the momentum for the Cardinals, making two shots that put Louisville in front 16-15 for the first time with seven minutes left in the period. </p>
<p id="cdXrhX">The back-and-forth action continued throughout the remainder of the half. However, Durr was able to land a jumper with 50 seconds left in the second quarter, which gave the Cardinals a 25-23 lead heading into halftime. </p>
<p id="y7gJPd">When the third quarter commenced, Mariya Moore took the ball down the court, opposite of where both teams were set up, before the Blue Devils realized they had been fooled and were defending the wrong basket. </p>
<p id="eOAnTW">“I watch teams when they come out at halftime,” Louisville Head Coach Jeff Walz said. “How much time is on the clock, what they are doing; we’ve done that once or twice before.”</p>
<p id="2EiyMO">Myisha Hines-Allen entered the third quarter with a renewed energy, scoring seven points in the first five minutes of the third quarter, widening Louisville’s lead 31-25.</p>
<p id="gx1Pk9">Just when it appeared that Louisville was going to continue to pull away, the Blue Devils went on a scoring streak with Lexie Brown making a layup that brought the game within one point, 35-34. </p>
<p id="ty8DHX">Brown continued to set the tone for the Blue Devils making two free throws after being fouled by Taylor Johnson. The third quarter, however, ended with the Cardinals in the lead, 44:41.</p>
<p id="UOJygK">The score remained close throughout the entire fourth quarter with the Cardinals maintaining the lead until Kyra Lambert tied the score for Duke with a layup. </p>
<p id="r1LlL7">As the game drew to a close, the victory was within grasp for either team. Brown capitalized on her free throws and ultimately propelled the Blue Devils to victory as the buzzer sounded. She ended the night with a game-high 17 points. </p>
<p id="fvH3jN">Duke will face Georgia Tech on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. EST. Louisville also will play on Jan. 5 against Virginia, tip-off is set for 7p.m ET. </p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/ncaa/2017/1/3/14150774/duke-louisville-lexie-brown-accEmily Wakeman