Herald-Sun Correspondent
DURHAM -- After easily disposing of North Carolina on Sunday, the Duke women had to tackle another in-state rival on Wednesday night.
But just as they'd done against Tar Heels, the Blue Devils again got off to a hot start, dominating N.C. State early, and then cruised to an easy 70-39 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke won its 20th game overall this season and its eighth in the ACC, keeping a one-game conference lead in the loss column over Florida State.
"I was really proud of our tenacity on defense," said Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie, whose team forced 30 turnovers for the game. "[Defensively] we're getting better and more people on our team are playing better."
The Blue Devils (20-4, 8-1 ACC) used their size advantage to dominate early and often. Freshman center Allison Vernerey was a one-woman wrecking crew, collecting 10 points and four rebounds -- all offensive -- in the first eight minutes, pacing Duke to a 16-4 lead.
She finished with a career-high 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while forward Joy Cheek chipped in seven points, 10 rebounds, three assist and two blocks.
"Right now, I'm feeling more confident," said Vernerey, who was making just her second start of the season. "I feel like my teammates trust me and have confidence around me, and that gives me confidence to shoot the ball."
Even on a night when leading scorer Jasmine Thomas was held to five points on 2-of-9 shooting, the Blue Devils found other ways to score. Sophomore guard Shay Shelby and Bridgette Mitchell both came off the bench to score 10 points each.
Adding to the Wolfpack's (13-11, 3-6) misery, the team shot 24 percent from the field in the first half and turned the ball over 17 times, eventually digging themselves a deficit as large as 20 points before cutting it to 33-16 at the half.
"I was obviously disappointed in how our team performed today," N.C. State coach Kellie Harper said. "Duke is a very good basketball team and they are quite a bit bigger than us and use their length effectively. We knew that rebounding was going to be a key point for our team and we were unable to keep them off the boards."
In the second half, the Blue Devils went on a 16-5 run to build a 46-24 advantage.
The Wolfpack tried to climb back into the game. After a rough first half, freshman point guard Marissa Kastanek finally warmed up, scoring 10 quick points to get her team within shouting distance at 46-33 with a little over nine minutes left.
"During that spell we took care of the basketball and we were able to get some shots," Harper said. "On the other end, we made sure they were one-and-done."
Kastanek scored 12 of her team-high 14 points in the second half and was the only Wolfpack player in double figures.
"I think the biggest thing is my confidence level went up in the second half," Kastanek said. "After we had a little team meeting in the locker room, we said it was going to be a team effort. In the second half I relaxed a little bit."
That, however, would be as close as the Wolfpack would get. The Blue Devils erased any doubt of an N.C. State comeback, however, going on a 10-2 spurt over the next three minutes to put the game out of reach.
"I saw some really good things in the second half," McCallie said. "I liked our effort, intensity, and focus in the second half more than the first. We sprinted to the floor, really pushing the tempo, really being demanding of ourselves."
Despite their sixth loss in league play, Harper was optimistic that her team would right the ship and play well the rest of the way.
"We go up from here," said a confident Harper. "Our kids' resiliency is about to be checked. They have to keep believing that they are capable of winning games and they are capable of beating good opponents. It's as much of a mindset as anything else and I believe they can do it."
