Lady Tigers fall to No. 1 Duke

DURHAM, N.C. - Although Alana Beard had her usual dominant performance, top-ranked Duke found itself in a rare spot - behind in a game. <br> <br> But Beard scored 16 of her 26 points in the second half to rally the Blue Devils to a 69-53 victory Monday night over Clemson in Duke&#39;s Atlantic Coast Conference opener. <br> <br> ``Defensively, we were all out of sorts and offensively our timing was off in the first half,&#39;&#39; Beard said. ``I think defensively we didn&#39;t talk and communicate with each other like we should. <br> <br> ``Then the second half we came back and communicated. We knew where each other were and we were able to find each other on the court.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Beard also had 13 boards to help Duke outrebound the Tigers 39-32. Iciss Tillis added 19 points for Duke (13-0), getting 12 during a span of 6:19 as the Blue Devils pulled away in the second half after trailing 31-28 at the break. <br> <br> Coach Gail Goestenkors was impressed with Clemson. <br> <br> ``I think they came very ready to play,&#39;&#39; she said. ``I thought they did an excellent job really making us work on the defensive end of the court. They took a lot of time off the clock.They set great screens. They just did a great job.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Beard scored six of Duke&#39;s first nine points in the second half. <br> <br> Amanda White led Clemson (9-4, 1-1 ACC) with 16 points, and Chrissy Floyd added 10. Floyd hit a runner as time expired in the first half. It was the first time this season Duke trailed at home. <br> <br> Duke hadn&#39;t played since winning twice before the holiday, and Goestenkors was not surprised by the struggle. <br> <br> ``I think it really shows that we haven&#39;t played a game in several days,&#39;&#39; she said. ``They were physical on the defensive end, and I think it threw our timing off a little bit. Hopefully we will be able to adjust for our next game.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Arkansas was the only other team to lead Duke at halftime, at 31-29 in what turned out to be a 74-72 overtime win for the Blue Devils in the Virgin Islands&#39; Paradise Jam. <br> <br> Clemson led 33-32 after two free throws from Leah Roper with 17:15 to play. But Vicki Krapohl&#39;s 3-pointer with 17 minutes remaining gave Duke the lead for good at 35-33. The Blue Devils extended their winning streak over ACC teams to 25. <br> <br> ``I&#39;m a little disappointed, especially after the way we came out in the first half and played,&#39;&#39; Clemson coach Jim Davis said. ``But you&#39;ve got to give Duke credit. They aren&#39;t ranked number one in the country for nothing. They&#39;re just a talented basketball team.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Clemson made just eight of 24 shots after halftime (33.3 percent), while Duke made 13 of 25 (52 percent) from the field. <br> <br> ``Duke&#39;s a great team, but we just didn&#39;t execute,&#39;&#39; White said. ``We just weren&#39;t smart.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Clemson&#39;s Julie Aderhold missed the game to undergo tests for a recently discovered irregular heartbeat.