Devils turn up pressure on Owls

Black scores 15 points to lead rout

DURHAM -- For the first four minutes of its game against Temple on Monday, the Duke women's basketball team found unfriendly home rims at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The No. 5-ranked Blue Devils missed their first eight shots, with attempts clanking off the iron from long and short distances.

Then the Devils (12-1) started to press -- creating 18 first-half turnovers -- and before long they were ahead by 10 points and on their way to an 87-52 rout of the Owls (8-5) in their final non-conference game before the start of the ACC schedule.

With their first ACC games against Miami on Friday and No. 14 Maryland on Jan. 12, the Devils were fine-tuning an offense that coach Joanne P. McCallie said has been behind a defense holding opponents to 31.6 percent shooting.

"We're becoming more attacking," McCallie said. "We're understanding that we need to get the ball inside, that we need to establish a presence in the paint. ... It breaks down defenses, and it opens up the outside."

Entering Monday's game, six players had led Duke in scoring this season. It was Chante Black's turn against Temple, with the senior center registering 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and a block.

Four Duke players scored in double-figures, including freshman Shay Selby, who had a career-high 14 points.

The difference between the Duke team that pressed and the Duke team that didn't was apparent after those first four minutes. When McCallie called for her team to press full-court, good things happened. Almost instantly.

For example, after a Temple basket, sophomore forward Karima Christmas stalked the baseline, waving her hands at a player trying to in-bound the ball. She created a turnover near Duke's basket, and soon sophomore guard Jasmine Thomas fed her for a wrap-around layup.

Then the Devils forced another turnover near half-court, leading to one of the most spectacular plays of the game where senior guard Abby Waner found Thomas (11 points, five assists) on a fastbreak with a thread-the-needle behind-the-back pass. From the right side of the court, she whipped the pass to her trailing teammate.

They had discussed the play in the locker room.

"We've missed that pass from her a few times," Thomas said.

Later in the first half, another steal by senior Carrem Gay sparked a run that saw the Devils make three 3-pointers. They entered half-time with a 47-22 lead.

"Early on, they missed shots so they couldn't press, but once they were able to put the ball in the hole, they put on their pressure, and we didn't handle it," Temple first-year coach Tonya Cardoza.

NO. 5 DUKE 87, TEMPLE 52

Temple (8-5): McCarthy 3-10 2-4 9, Landry 1-2 2-3 4, Cotton 6-10 6-10 18, Eaddy 1-8 0-0 3, Kimmel 0-3 0-0 0, Williams 1-2 0-0 3, Wallace 2-8 4-6 9, Fields 0-0 0-0 0, Bennett 2-5 2-3 6. Totals 16-48 16-26 52.

Duke (12-1): Gay 3-8 1-2 8, Jackson 1-3 2-2 4, Black 6-9 3-5 15, Waner 2-9 2-2 7, J.Thomas 4-11 2-5 11, Hopkins 0-2 0-0 0, Selby 6-8 0-0 14, Christmas 3-5 0-0 6, Mitchell 1-5 0-0 2, Cheek 6-11 1-3 13, Scheer 1-5 0-0 3, K.Thomas 1-8 2-5 4. Totals 34-84 13-24 87.

Halftime--Duke 47-22. 3-point goals--Temple 4-15 (Williams 1-1, McCarthy 1-2, Eaddy 1-3, Wallace 1-5, Cotton 0-1, Bennett 0-1, Kimmel 0-2), Duke 6-14 (Selby 2-3, Gay 1-1, J.Thomas 1-2, Scheer 1-4, Waner 1-4). Fouled out--K.Thomas. Rebounds--Temple 40 (Landry 8), Duke 51 (Cheek 8). Assists--Temple 8 (Eaddy, Wallace, Williams 2), Duke 20 (Waner 6). Total fouls--Temple 18, Duke 20. A--5,488.

DUKE 87, TEMPLE 52