Box Score

DURHAM, NC—A commanding size advantage for 12^th ranked Duke proved too much for Winthrop to overcome as the Blue Devils tied a school record with 16 blocked shots in downing the Eagles 78-50 on Sunday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
 
Winthrop falls to 0-2 as the Eagles start the season against two Top 20 teams.  Duke improves to 2-0 as it won its 17^th straight home opener and ninth straight under head coach Joanna P. McCallie.
 
Eagle junior forward and preseason All-Big South selection Erica Williams became the 18^th player in Winthrop women's basketball history to join the 1,000 club when she connected on a mid-range jumper early in the third period. She finished the game with a team-high 17 points.
 
Duke, which presents a roster with eight players who stand 6-1 or better, held Winthrop to 31 percent shooting on 21 of 67 field goals.  When the Blue Devils weren't blocking shots they used their superior height advantage to challenge most Winthrop field goal attempts.  Duke also had a commanding rebounding average, winning the battle of the boards 51-36.
 
Winthrop did give the Blue Devils problems with its aggressive zone as the Eagles forced Duke into 23 turnovers while committing 20 of its own. 

"We were thankful to have the opportunity to come in here," said Winthrop head coach Kevin Cook. . "I'm proud of our team for battling.  I thought we played our hearts outt. We're at a point in our program where we are past the moral victories and just competing. I told the team that. This is an elite team (Duke) that has a chance to do great things. We let [Rebecca] Greenwell get off early.  I think she is the spark that ignites this crew and when she is on, it seems like everybody else is on.

"We could have scheduled some easier opponents, but as Skip Prosser used to say down here on Tobacco Road, you can't sharpen your teeth by eating oatmeal.  We don't want to break our teeth but at the same time we want to sharpen them. It's a great atmosphere with great traditions. It's a wonderful thing for our players to experience. This is what we are trying to grow in Rock Hill, South Carolina."

Duke got out to an early 11-2 lead thanks to Rebecca Greenwell who connected on two of her five 3-pointers.  She finished the game with 17 points.  Winthrop settled down after spotting the Blue Devils the early 9-point lead trailed by 10 points after the first quarter at 27-17 after sophomore guard Jimecheia banks connected on a 25-foot three-pointer at the buzzer.
 
Sophomore center Ezinne Mbamalu was a force in the second quarter as she came off the bench to score eight straight points to draw the Eagles to within three points at 32-29 with 3:30 left before halftime.  After Williams connected on a jumper to make it a 34-31 game at the 2:41 mark, Winthrop missed its last five shots of the quarter and trailed 41-31 at intermission.
 
Winthrop kept the game within reach in the opening five minutes of the third quarter and trailed by 11 at 49-38 when Williams connected on a 3-pointer from the deep left corner with 5:16 on the clock. 
 
But a Duke steal that led to a layup and free throw by Kyra Lambert made it a 52-38 Blue Devil advantage and Winthrop's hopes for an upset disappeared.  Duke went on to close out the third quarter with a 17-point lead at 61-44.
 
In addition to Williams' 17 points, Mbamalu also reached double figures for Winthrop, finishing with 10 points before fouling out.  Freshman center Arianne Whitaker led the Eagles in the rebounding department with nine while scoring eight points. Duke was led by 6-6 sophomore Azura Stevens who recorded a double-double with 18 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
 
Winthrop will travel to Akron, Ohio next weekend where it will face the host Akron Zips in the Akron Invitational at 10:30 a.m. on Friday before tangling with Ohio University at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.