Wake Forest University
Duke
Deacons Fall To No. 2 Duke In ACC Opener
1/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2006
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Monique Currie had 16 points before sitting out the final 11 1/2 minutes, Lindsey Harding added 14 points and No. 2 Duke beat Wake Forest 100-54 Monday in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both schools.
Reserve Chante Black finished with 13 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks for the Blue Devils (12-0), who won their previous five home games by an average margin of 57 points, including a 110-24 rout of Ball State.
For most the first half, the Demon Deacons (7-5) stayed within reach, and they trailed only 30-23 when Corinne Groves made a layup with about 5 minutes left in the first half. That's when Duke took over.
Alison Bales scored inside off an assist from Mistie Williams, and Lindsey Harding converted a three-point play after nice feed from Currie. Meanwhile, Wake Forest's players had trouble keeping possession, and when they did, their shots stopped falling.
They went into halftime with six straight missed shots and turnovers on three other trips, and it hardly got better after the break. The Blue Devils scored the first six points of the second half to force a timeout from Wake Forest coach Mike Petersen, and Groves ended the drought with a layup, her team's first basket in 7 minutes.
Later, a 3-pointer by Diedre Naughton closed the Deacons to 55-33, but Duke went on a 21-4 run to make it 76-37, drawing a derisive cheer of "More than double!" from the few Crazies in attendance.
Of course, they should be used to it by now. The Blue Devils have won each of their games by at least 14 points, and they returned from easily winning the Surf'N Slam Classic in San Diego late last week. In two games, they averaged 112 points and shot 61 percent.
Duke has been just as impressive on defense, holding opponents to just below 30 percent from the field. Wake Forest, which lost its 29th straight in the series, finished at 29 percent.
Naughton led the Deacons with 15 points, but leading scorer Cotelia Bond-Young was held to nine, about half her average.
