Cheek Leads The Way With 18 Points During Blue-White Scrimmage

Sunday, October 26

Durham, N.C.

2 p.m.

Duke University

White 84

Blue 54

Blue-White Scrimmage

Cheek Leads The Way With 18 Points During Blue-White Scrimmage

10/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. ? Seven Blue Devils scored in double figures, including Joy Cheek who led the team with 18 points, during the Duke women's basketball team's Blue-White scrimmage Sunday afternoon in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Cheek hit a team-leading eight of her 12 shots, including her only attempt from beyond the arc, to lead the White team to an 84-54 win over the Blue squad. All five starting members of the White team scored in double figures as they combined to shoot 56.7 percent (30-for-53) from the field and 46.7 percent (7-for-15) from beyond the arc. The group included Cheek, seniors Chante Black (16 points) and Carrem Gay (12 pts.), junior Abby Waner (14 pts.) and sophomore Jasmine Thomas (16 pts.), which closely resembles Duke's starting squad from the 2007-08 season, minus graduated senior and WNBA Draft Pick Wanisha Smith.

“I liked [the White team's] chemistry a lot,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “I have since the beginning of the year and since I saw what kind of summers everyone had. Everyone did what they needed to do individually [during the summer], so when those five came back, it was very evident that they fit very well together.”

The bulk of Thomas' points came from long range as she hit 3-of-4 three-pointers to lead all Blue Devils in buckets from beyond the arc. Waner also saw two of her five field goals go in from the behind the line and was Duke's best defender on the day with five steals.

Karima Christmas was the Blue team's top scorer with 17 points, all of which came during the second half and overtime period. Junior Bridgette Mitchell also finished with a combined 14 points for the Blue team during the 36-minute affair, which included a pair of 16-minute halves and a four-minute overtime period. Christmas was also Blue's top rebounder, grabbing nine boards, including a team-leading five on the offensive end. Jasmine Thomas had eight rebounds, while Mitchell pulled down seven and Black and freshman Kathleen Scheer grabbed six each.

“I think this is a very deep team this year,” McCallie said. “There is a lot of balance and depth there, and you saw Karima [Christmas] play quite well today, and do some nice things with the others.”

White outscored Blue 34-18 in the first half, but had to fight off a revamped Blue squad in the second half that included Christmas, Mitchell, Keturah Jackson, sophomore Krystal Thomas and freshmen Shay Selby and Kathleen Scheer. The group hung with the White team for the majority of the second half before eventually falling 40-30 at the end of regulation. The play continued into a four-minute overtime period where White closed out the intrasquad scrimmage by outscoring Blue 10-5.

Both squads used a number of players to run the offense, sending Jasmine Thomas, Waner and Jackson, among others, at times to handle the ball. Both Waner and Thomas were equally effective dishing the ball as they combined for 11 assists, six of which came from Waner. Freshman Chelsea Hopkins also flashed her ability at the point after coming up with three assists, two of which came in the first half.

The scrimmage kicks off the 2008-09 basketball season for the Duke women's team, which will continue with an exhibition in Cameron Indoor Stadium against Anderson College on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. The Blue Devils will begin their official season on Nov. 14 with a 7 p.m. home meeting against Oklahoma State.

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