No. 2 Duke 89, Rhode Island 63

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) For coach Gail Goestenkors, second-ranked Duke&#39;s 89-63 victory over Rhode Island on Wednesday just wasn&#39;t good enough and is a source of concern for the next round of the Auburn Holiday Classic.<br> <br> Duke, while winning its 10th straight game with 57-percent shooting, fell below its 26.8 point victory margin in its first-ever matchup against the Rams (2-8).<br> <br> ``I am very disappointed with our effort. We played very poor defense in this game,&#39;&#39; Goestenkors said. ``I am not sure if it&#39;s because of the Christmas break, but that is something that we are going to have to improve on if we intend to beat Auburn.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Host Auburn faces Rhode Island on Thursday before taking on Duke in the final round Friday.<br> <br> Jessica Foley scored 14 of her 16 points in the first half to lead Duke. Foley made six of 10 shots including three 3-pointers for Duke, which led 47-25 at halftime. Mistie Williams and Monique Currie added 14 points apiece for the Blue Devils (12-1).<br> <br> ``We had to get the kinks out today after having a stretch of eight days without a game. We were a little off with our passes, were not making layups and didn&#39;t play well defensively,&#39;&#39; Foley said.<br> <br> Williams also blamed the lengthy break for Duke&#39;s weaker defense.<br> <br> ``Coming off a break like we had, we have to get our communication back on defense as that is what makes our defense what it is,&#39;&#39; she said. ``It was disappointing how we came out and played on the defensive end today. It showed our lack of focus.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Duke&#39;s 22 turnovers was a blow to the Blue Devils, who notched a season-low seven turnovers in their 81-31 victory over Ball State on Dec. 23.<br> <br> Tanya Rhodes scored 17 points on 8-of-18 shooting to lead Rhode Island. Peta Kneen added 13 points for the Rams.<br> <br> Coach Tom Garrick said his players&#39; image of Duke intimidated them, especially in the first half.<br> <br> ``I think our team bought into the myth of Duke a little too much,&#39;&#39; he said. ``That is not to say they are not great because they are. But when we came out we played the first 20 minutes kind of shell-shocked.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Duke opened the game with a 16-4 surge and led by as many as 27 points in the second half. Currie and Chante Black had six rebounds each for Duke, which dominated the boards 43-25.<br> <br> Rhode Island made 50 percent of its shots in the second half, but was held to 44-percent shooting overall.<br> <br> ``I think the second 20 minutes we really picked it up and played well,&#39; `` Garrick said. ``I just wish that we would have been able to do that in the first half instead of waiting until the second half.&#39;&#39;

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/12/144323