Mosch, Blue Devils Mash Liberty, 95-53

Dec 20, 2001

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DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Sheana Mosch took full advantage of Duke's tough defense Thursday night.

Mosch bettered her season scoring high by halftime and finished with 24 points - many off turnovers - and eight rebounds to lead No. 9 Duke to a 95-53 victory over Liberty.

The Blue Devils' traps forced the Flames to turn the ball over on 10 of their first 12 possessions, resulting in a series of uncontested layups for Duke.

"In the first half we got a lot of steals, and that opened up a lot of fast breaks," Mosch said. "I'm the one who was up top, so I got to shoot a lot of layups."

Monique Currie tied her season best with 22 points for Duke (9-2).

All seven of Duke's active players scored. Iciss Tillis had 16 points, Alana Beard had 15 points and seven assists, and Vicki Krapohl added a career-high 15 points and four assists. Krapohl was 5-for-10 on 3-pointers.

Liberty (4-6) had 17 turnovers in the first half and 26 overall.

"I think we came in a little scared, and no one was playing their game," Liberty's Kristal Tharp, who scored 10 points.

The Blue Devils made a total of 11 3-pointers - one shy of the team record for a game - on 19 attempts.

Duke was 36-of-70 from the floor (51.4 percent), marking its fifth straight game shooting at least 50 percent. Duke hit 21 of 36 first half shots (58.3 percent) and led 26-4 before taking a 56-30 halftime lead.

The Blue Devils padded their margin most of the second half and took their biggest lead at 92-49, on Currie's layup with 4:58 left.

Mosch made five of her first seven shots and had 17 points by halftime. Beard had 11, while Tills and Currie each had 10 in the first half.

Liberty played its sixth straight game without Michelle Fricke, the Big South's player of the year last season, who injured her ankle early this season.