Wednesday, December 20, 2006
No. 22 Pittsburgh beat East Carolina in the Carribbean Classic.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CANCUN, Mexico -- It's that time of year for final exams and long layoffs in college basketball. The rust showed on No. 4 Duke.
The Blue Devils (10-0) tied a season-high with 23 turnovers and needed a spark in the second half to beat No. 25 Bowling Green 55-46 in the Caribbean Classic Tournament on Tuesday.
Bowling Green led 31-26 about 3 1/2 minutes into the second half, but the Blue Devils answered with a 14-0 run that put away the Falcons (7-2).
"We've been off for finals for more than a week," said Duke coach Gail Goestenkors, whose team last played Texas on Dec. 10. "We looked very rusty."
Duke clamped down on defense with an aggressive press and Wanisha Smith scored nine of her 11 points in the second half to hold off Bowling Green.
Alison Bales and Lindsey Harding had 13 points apiece for the Blue Devils.
"Our defense is our bread and butter," said Bales, who added seven blocks and broke the ACC's career blocks record.
The 6-foot-7 center has 335 blocks, surpassing the previous record of 330 held by Virginia's DeMya Walker.
Bowling Green kept the game from getting out of hand in the first half thanks to seven steals and Duke's 12 turnovers.
"I thought we had the right tempo tonight. I didn't think we could get into a shootout," Falcons coach Curt Miller said. "You could tell we've been off for a while."
Ali Mann led Bowling Green with 15 points, all in the second half.
Duke led 25-23 at halftime thanks to nine points from Bales, who went 4-of-6 from the floor and 1-of-1 from the free-throw line.
The Falcons kept the score close with 10 points from Kate Achter, who was 3-of-3 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Bowling Green opened the second half with an 8-0 run on a pair of 3-pointers and a 2-point basket by Mann.
But Duke answered with 14 consecutive points, including four by Harding, to regain control.
"We lost an opportunity for a huge upset, but we earned a lot of national respect," Miller said.
Mann kept the Falcons in the game and Bowling Green crept back to 43-39 with 6:10 remaining, but Smith had four points over the final four minutes and Duke closed the game with an 8-3 run.
No. 22 Pittsburgh 70, East Carolina 53
CANCUN, Mexico (AP) -- Shavonte Zellous scored 22 points and Xenia Stewart added 21 to lead Pittsburgh in the Caribbean Classic.
Mercedes Walker added 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Panthers (11-0). Jessica Slack scored 17 and Cherie Mills 12 for the Pirates (4-7).
Both teams struggled on offense, with Pittsburgh shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 13-of-21 on free throws. East Carolina made 32.7 percent of its shots from the field and 13-of-25 free throws.
Pittsburgh outrebounded East Carolina 44-34.
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