No. 10 Duke Gets Past N.C. State, 71-57

Sunday, January 20

Durham, N.C.

1:00 p.m.

Duke University

NC State

No. 10 Duke Gets Past N.C. State, 71-57

1/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Duke pestered North Carolina State's best player into her worst game this season. That made up for the Blue Devils' disturbing knack of giving the ball to the Wolfpack as often as they took it away.

No. 10 Duke claimed a defense-dominated 71-57 victory against North Carolina State on Sunday behind Chante Black's 17 points and 11 rebounds and an impressive defensive performance against Khadijah Whittington, the Atlantic Coast Conference's leading scorer.

"Without question, she's a phenomenal player," Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said of Whittington. "You don't ever stop players. We didn't stop her, per se, but we definitely slowed her down and tried to limit her ability to impact the game because she has such an ability to impact games."

Joy Cheek ? who spent most of the game guarding Whittington ? scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half and started the game-deciding spurt for the Blue Devils (14-4, 3-1 ACC). They bounced back from a 15-point loss at No. 4 Maryland by grinding out a win over the N.C. State team that a year ago spoiled their perfect season.

"We want to keep whoever their opponent is under their average," Cheek said. "We didn't want to let (Whittington) get off, because we knew she was their emotional leader."

Wanisha Smith added 13 points for the Blue Devils, who won this one with defense, forcing N.C. State into 24 turnovers. That helped Duke overcome 24 giveaways of its own.

"I love to see aggressive, smart play, and sometimes you can be really aggressive and turn the ball over ? just something didn't work," McCallie said. "When it balloons to 24, then you've got some issues of intelligence. Are we making the right choice? Are we playing too fast? In our case, I think we play too fast sometimes. We can not race up and down the floor 100 miles an hour for 40 minutes."

The Blue Devils outrebounded N.C. State 46-34 and held Whittington to just seven points ? more than 11 below her average ? on 3-of-13 shooting. She was 0-for-5 in the first half.

"They played pretty good defense on me," Whittington said. "I just think that I wasn't able to hit the shots that I was able to take. I should have drove more. I settled for the jump shot."

It was just the second time this season she was held to fewer than 10 points, joining an eight-point showing in a 57-52 victory against Temple on Dec. 1.

Nikitta Gartrell scored 13 points, Shayla Fields added 12 and Sharnise Beal had 10 for N.C. State (12-7, 0-4). The Wolfpack lost their fourth straight league game, but first that was close to being lopsided; they entered having lost three ACC games by a combined 14 points.

"We haven't yet to this day established a nucleus of scorers that we can count on, game in and game out," N.C. State coach Kay Yow said. "That probably concerns me more than anything else. ... We just haven't been able to find that consistent 3-point shooter, we haven't been able to find the consistent post as far as scoring goes."

Yow's team rallied from a 10-point first-half hole, tying it at 35-all on Whittington's three-point play with 17:08 left.

Cheek knocked down a short jumper on Duke's next possession, and that started the decisive 18-2 run. Cheek scored seven points during the spurt, including a 3-pointer from the key that made it a double-figure game to stay.

"Everyone likes a 3 ? especially by a post player," McCallie said.

Black capped the run with a free throw to make it 53-37 with 11:26 to play, and the Wolfpack didn't get closer than 10 the rest of the way.

Duke withstood a rough game from star guard Abby Waner, who was held to four points on 2-of-10 shooting ? the second time in three games she was held to fewer than 10 points. The Blue Devils' best pure perimeter shooter who knocks down 36 percent of her 3-point attempts is a combined 2-for-25 from beyond the arc in three games.

The Blue Devils built an early double-figure lead with a defense-fueled 20-5 run during which the Blue Devils forced 10 turnovers during a 7-minute span, taking a 22-12 lead midway through the first half when Smith found Waner for a quick layup. N.C. State regrouped, clawing its way back into the game by pulling within 33-28 at the break.