Duke Routs Pfeiffer, 112-27, in Exhibition Action

Thursday, November 3

Durham, N.C.

7:00 PM

Duke University

112

Pfeiffer

Duke Routs Pfeiffer, 112-27, in Exhibition Action

11/3/2011 8:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Athletics

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – Freshman Elizabeth Williams scored 21 points and added nine rebounds and seven blocks in her Duke debut to lead the Blue Devils to a 112-27 victory over Pfeiffer in women's basketball exhibition action Thursday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Five other Duke players scored in double figures as the team opened the 2011-12 season with a strong offensive output.

Duke jumped out to an early 12-0 lead behind sharp shooting from sophomore Chloe Wells, who was 5-for-9 from the floor and 4-for-4 at the charity stripe in the first half. Pfeiffer's Jodie Lemons put the Lady Falcons on the board with consecutive treys at the 16-minute mark, but the Blue Devils would go on a 16-0 scoring tear after that to increase the margin to 31-6. Williams contributed strong play on both ends of the floor, notching five blocks to go with a team-high 10 points in the first period.

Senior Shay Selby totaled nine points while sophomore Chelsea Gray added seven to give Duke a 53-16 halftime advantage. The Blue Devils also capitalized defensively, tallying 15 steals and scoring 31 points off turnovers while outrebounding Pfeiffer, 25-11. As a team, Duke shot 54.8 percent from the floor in the first half while holding Pfeiffer to just 26.1 percent.

Williams continued her dominance in the paint during the second half, fueling a 13-0 run that gave the Blue Devils an 80-21 lead midway through the period. Fellow rookie Amber Henson also contributed a strong presence inside, while sophomores Haley Peters and Richa Jackson provided scoring support.

Duke stretched its margin to 80 points in the waning minutes, with head coach Joanne P. McCallie substituting a constant rotation of Blue Devil players. McCallie's squad forced 19 turnovers in the second half and shot 51 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes.

Overall, Duke hit 52.7 percent of its shots and posted a 62-21 advantage on the glass. The Falcons grabbed just nine offensive rebounds while knocking down 19.6 percent of their chances from the floor.

Williams finished with a game-high 21 points for the Blue Devils while also leading the team with nine rebounds and seven blocks. Gray and Wells tallied 15 points each, with Gray also notching eight assists and seven steals. Selby and Jackson also scored in double figures, notching 11 and 10 points, respectively. For Pfeiffer, Lemons totaled 12 points and five rebounds followed by Christina Harvey with four points.

“I had a good time and I had fun,” Williams said. “I just tried to be aggressive. Coach [McCallie] told me that was important.”

Duke will play its final exhibition game on Sunday, Nov. 6 when it hosts Lander at 2 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils kick off the regular season on Nov. 11 on the road at BYU.

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