Black Scores 20 As No. 11 Duke Tops Virginia Tech, 72-60

Friday, February 22

Blacksburg, Va.

7:00 p.m.

Duke University

Virginia Tech

Black Named One Of 40 Finalists For The State Farm All-America

Black Scores 20 As No. 11 Duke Tops Virginia Tech, 72-60

2/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

By: Duke Sports Information

BLACKSBURG, Va.-- Led by a game-high 20 points from junior Chante Black, the 11th-ranked Duke women's basketball team downed Virginia Tech, 72-60, on Friday evening in Blacksburg, Va. The Blue Devils registered their 11th-straight 20-win season as they improved to 20-7 overall and 9-3 in the ACC.

Black's 20 points came on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the foul line, while the 6-5 junior also grabbed five rebounds, all offensive, along with four steals.

Junior Carrem Gay was a perfect 5-of-5 shooting to finish with 13 points off the bench and pulled in a team-high five steals to go along with five rebounds. Sophomore Keturah Jackson added a career-high 12 points to finish in double figures for the second straight game.

Duke (20-7, 9-3 ACC) outrebounded Virginia Tech 33-26 and capitalized on 18 offensive boards with 21 second-chance points. The Blue Devils also swiped 16 steals and were able to turn 25 Virginia Tech turnovers into 25 points. The win marked the 11th straight season in which the Blue Devils reached the 20-win plateau and the 13th time in the past 14 years.

Junior Abby Waner continued her assault on the Blue Devil record books with a pair of three-pointers that pushed her past Jen Scanlon's career mark of 159 treys on Duke's all-time three-pointers list. Waner finished with six points, a team-high five assists and three steals.

Senior Wanisha Smith also added eight points and a pair of assists, while freshman Krystal Thomas blocked three shots and pulled down a pair of rebounds in 14 minutes of action.

Duke traded buckets with Virginia Tech for the first five minutes and claimed a slim 11-10 advantage at the 15:21 mark. The one-point Blue Devil lead was short-lived, however, as Duke rattled off a 19-5 run over the next 8:31 to go ahead 30-15. Gay contributed eight points during the tear to finish with 10 for the half.

Duke locked down on the defensive end as well, holding the Hokies to two field goals over the final 13:23. The 20 points scored by Virginia Tech in the first half was a season-low for the Hokies and gave Duke a 36-20 advantage heading into the second half. Duke maintained the double-digit lead for the remainder of the game and led by as much at 18 points midway through the second frame.

Duke will next host Virginia on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 12:30 p.m. The contest will be aired by RAYCOM Sports and will mark senior day for Wanisha Smith and Emily Waner.