Duke Rolls Past USC 75-60

Story by Brett Shapoff

USC's #23 Brianna Barrett. Photo by William Johnson/T.G.Sports.

The early game on Saturday, at the Women of Troy Classic, showed why the Duke Blue Devils are ranked #4 in the nation, as they won handily, 75-60, over their tournament host, the Trojans of USC.

A well-balanced Duke offense had all of their starting five in double figures, led by exceptional floor-leader, Chelsea Gray’s 18 points. The Blue Devils won their 10^th game in row, while the Trojans dropped their 5^th straight.

Duke was fundamentally-sound in every aspect of its game, and it showed in their patience, as they just wore-down USC by games end. The ladies from Durham, NC, played well defensively, causing 20 USC turnovers, which led to them scoring 21 points.

USC head coach, Michael Cooper, noted his team’s performance, “I thought we played extremely well against the No. 4 team in the country.”

USC's #10Kate Oliver playing great defense
against Duke's #12 Chelsea Gray. Photo by
William Johnson/T.G.Sports.

USC kept it close, more or less, throughout most of the first half, and were led by Cassie Harberts who had 9 points, Kate Oliver’s 6 points, and Alexyz Vaioletama’s 5 points, at the intermission. In the second half, though, the Blue Devils just wore down USC with their balance scoring attack and depth - off the bench.

Aside from Gray’s 18 points, Duke was paced by Tricia Liston’s 14 points, Elizabeth Williams adding 13 points, Haley Peters 12 points, and Alexis Jones 11 points. The Blue Devil women hit on 8-12 from beyond the arc, as compared to only 2-14, from USC. The Ladies of Troy were led by Cassie Harbert’s 17 points, Kate Oliver’s 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Alexyz Vaioletama’s 10 points and 8 rebounds.

Duke head coach, Joanne P. McCallie, said this about, Chelsea Gary, her teams leading scorer: “Chelsea, I think, is the best point guard in the country. She is because she does everything. That productivity day in and day out is something she takes a lot of pride in."

Duke's #12 Chelsea Gray scored 18 points against USC
defense. Photo by William Johnson/T.G.Sports.

For the game, the Blue Devils converted 13-16 from the line, while USC was a horrid 50% (10-20) from the foul stripe. USC did manage to out rebound Duke (44-36), and Coach Cooper liked that aspect of their game: “To out rebound them 44-36 shows not only that we’re headed in the right direction, but that we can control the paint.”

USC was behind by double figures for nearly the entire second half and could not close the gap closer than a 9-pt deficit. Duke was able to control the tempo throughout the second half, and either caused a Trojan turnover when necessary, or a hit a big shot to keep in command until the horn sounded.

This was a good test for the Trojans to assess their strength and weaknesses. The Trojans are off for a few days for Christmas break, and will host Vanderbilt on December 29. After that, conference play begins January 4, 2013, in Corvallis, OR, against Oregon State.