Nov. 22, 2007
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands - The offense wasn't flowing for Duke, so the No. 9 Blue Devils stepped it up defensively.
Chante Black blocked four shots to lead a Blue Devils defense that held No. 22 Purdue to 29 percent shooting in a 53-41 victory Thursday at the Paradise Jam.
"It was a relentless effort because it was an ugly game," said Duke coach Joanne McCallie. "We showed a lot of grit, good defense and some toughness on the boards."
Freshman Jasmine Thomas sparked the Blue Devils offense with a career-high 15 points.
She converted a three-point play after she was fouled on a breakaway layup with 2 minutes left to give the Blue Devils their biggest lead of the game at 51-38 and help to seal the victory.
"I though Jas gave us a great lift as a freshman with her leadership and with her attack on the basket," McCallie said.
Purdue (2-1) jumped out to a fast start, going up 12-2 on a 3-pointer by Lakisha Freeman with 12:42 to play in the first half. Duke (4-0) responded with a 17-0 run over the next 6 minutes to make it 19-12.
Thomas hit a runner at the buzzer to put the Blue Devils ahead 25-18.
Purdue managed to stay close for most of the game despite turning the ball over 25 times and getting outrebounded 39-35.
The Boilermakers pulled to within six points with 5:09 remaining the game, but Duke responded seconds later with a 3-pointer from Wanisha Smith to pull ahead 44-35.
McCallie, who is in her first year as Duke's coach, said the team had some lulls that allowed Purdue to stay in the game but they executed when it mattered.
Purdue coach Sharon Versyp credited the Duke defense with preventing her team from finding a rhythm.
"They had some wide open looks. They didn't give us many looks," said Versyp, whose team advanced to the round of eight in last year's NCAA tournament.
Danielle Campbell led the Boilermakers with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Natasha Bogdanova had 12 points, and Kalika France added nine with seven rebounds.
Black, who tallied her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds, said that as the Duke offense struggled she looked to dish the ball to the guards.
"We also showed hustle. We're a hardworking team, so we're going to continue to do that," she said.
Duke finished with 12 steals, including three by Keturah Jackson, compared to six for Purdue.
Duke will face Temple in the second round of the tournament on Friday. Purdue faces Temple on Saturday.