CHUCK LIDDY - cliddy@newsobserver.com
Duke guard Tricia Liston (32) waits for UNC guard Brittany Rountree (11) to fly past her as she goes up for two of her game-high 23 points during second-half action.
DURHAM -- This one was one-sided.
Early in the first half on Monday night, the Duke women’s basketball team decided to attack North Carolina – in the paint with strong-armed defense, on the boards with hustle, in the lane with well-timed passes and from the 3-point arc with accurate shooting. The No. 5 Blue Devils (19-3, 10-0 ACC) succeed on every front.
They railroaded No. 24 North Carolina (17-6, 7-3) – their heated rivals – and rode the energy inside Cameron Indoor Stadium to a thoroughly impressive 96-56 victory before a national television audience and an announced crowd of 8,595.
Using a highly effective 2-3 match-up zone, the Devils slowed down the Heels and then shredded their opponents with 54.4 percent shooting from the field. They finished with the second largest margin of victory against UNC in school history.
The Devils, who led 50-24 at halftime, scored the most points in the first half against the Heels since 2000. They capitalized on the Heels’ inability to score and kept ripping the net cords with jump shots – they made a season-high eight 3-pointers in the first half and finished 10 of 20.
“We were knocking down shots like it was nothing,” Duke sophomore guard Chelsea Gray said.
Five Duke players scored in double figures. Sophomore guard Richa Jackson finished with 17 points, while sophomore guard Tricia Liston tied a career-high 23 points – draining 4 of 6 3-point attempts and scoring 16 points in the first half.
Duke freshman center Elizabeth Williams secured her fifth double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. She added six blocks and set the ACC single season freshman blocks record with 85.
Everything went right for Duke.
With 10 minutes, 30 seconds remaining, Jackson nailed a 15-foot jumper with the shot clock expiring. That shot extended the Devils lead by 36 points.
Then with 34.6 seconds left, Liston struck again, draining her fourth 3-pointer of the night.
“Everyone was going off each other,” Liston said. “The energy I felt was awesome.”
Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said her team played some of it best team basketball, creating without play calls and finding each other. They fed off defense. “Pretty good defensive effort anytime you hold somebody to 56 points,” she said.
Over the past three seasons, these teams have split their regular season meetings. Last season, the Devils won the third game – an 81-66 victory in the ACC tournament final. The home team has held the advantage in the regular season series over the past two seasons. UNC last won at Duke in 2008.
These teams play again in Chapel Hill on Feb. 26.
Monday night’s game started as one might expect when two rivals come together. The teams jostled for position and exchanged some bumps and blocks inside. UNC held a 10-9 lead early in the first half. Yet it wouldn’t last.
A 3-pointer by Liston handed the Devils a 12-10 lead with 11:25 left in the first half. From there, they built an insurmountable lead and marched on for a 28th consecutive home win over an ACC opponent.
By the time Liston’s next 3-pointer fell through the nets, the Devils were ahead 31-16 with 5:22 left in the first half.
Duke kept to its goal of attacking the basket. Organized by Gray – seven assists – the Devils attacked UNC's zone, finding space in the paint with quick ball movement. The team amassed 23 assists.
There were simple plays: Gray driving the middle and finding Williams with a bounce pass near the end of the first half. Williams, with her 6-foot-3 frame, turned inside and finished over UNC's 6-6 Waltiea Rolle.
With drives to the lane, the Devils went to the free throw line, converting 12 of 18 attempts.
Finishing inside, the Devils opened the outside and found their range from the arc. Gray knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers with 1:16 remaining in the first half, followed by a third consecutive 3-pointer from Liston with 45.6 seconds left before halftime. That put the Devils ahead 48-22.
“I think we’re a better team than we showed tonight,” UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “I just kept thinking Duke was going to miss some shots once in a while. But they hardly missed any.”
Meanwhile, the Heels struggled to find consistent offense, waylaid by Duke's aggressive match-up zone. The Heels shot just 28 percent in the first half and 32.3 percent overall.
“They changed defenses,” UNC senior Chay Shegog said of Duke’s zone. “They really threw a lot of different things at us. ... They just took off. Great teams do that.”
