Mistie Williams had 23 points and eight rebounds to lead the No. 2 Blue Devils past Miami 95-61, a dominating effort that put them one win away from earning another Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title.
Jessica Foley and Monique Currie added 18 points apiece for the Blue Devils (26-2, 12-1 ACC), who must beat No. 8 North Carolina on Sunday to earn the top seed in the league tournament for the fourth straight year and sixth time in seven seasons.
In what coach Gail Goestenkors called one of its best performances of the season, Duke scored the game's first 10 points and never looked back. The Blue Devils shot 57 percent, had 26 assists on 33 field goals and took a 35-26 edge on the glass.
They also went 8-of-15 from 3-point range and 21-of-27 from the line, which helped Duke turn a 46-26 halftime margin into a 42-point lead.
It was a good way to go into the rematch with the Tar Heels, who handed the Blue Devils their only league loss.
``I felt like we were hitting on all cylinders, both inside and outside and with our defense,'' Goestenkors said.
Miami (12-14, 4-9) had lost consecutive close games against ranked teams, falling to North Carolina State and Maryland by a combined eight points. But the trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium quickly turned into a rout, with the Blue Devils knocking down outside shots and dominating inside.
Little went right for the Hurricanes, and coach Ferne Labati's frustrations resulted in a technical foul with her team down by 57-28 with 16:04 left.
Miami shot 37 percent, including 8-for-26 in the second half to erase any chance of a comeback.
``We allowed them to play the game they wanted to play instead of us coming in and setting the tone,'' said Tamara James, who scored a game-high 26 points.
The 6-foot-3 Williams was virtually unstoppable, scoring 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting in the first half. Her 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting tied a career-high, ending a rough five-game stretch that featured only one double-digit scoring performance.
``I think I was thinking too much,'' Williams said. ``I think my focus over the past couple of games and practices has been to just do what I can. If it's not scoring, it's rebounding. If it's not rebounding or scoring, then it's defense.''
Williams got plenty of help. Foley hit four 3-pointers, while freshman Wanisha Smith finished with 10 assists. Chante Black, a 6-5 freshman, added nine points and six rebounds.
Duke did all that despite Currie being limited to just 21 minutes. The junior who averages 17 points and seven rebounds went to the bench with her third foul with 8:17 left in the first half, scoring six points in nine minutes.
She probably needed the rest she's been playing with a stress fracture in her left foot for the past three weeks. But the game marked the first time Currie has played fewer than 29 minutes since the injury was diagnosed after the 72-63 win at Miami on Feb. 3.
Still, Goestenkors has no option but to stick with her stars even in blowouts. The Blue Devils have just eight players after losing point guard Lindsey Harding, who was suspended earlier this season for violating team rules.
Yet, even after replacing departed stars Alana Beard and Iciss Tillis, Duke still finds itself mentioned as one of the favorites to reach the Final Four.
``I'm not surprised at all,'' Currie said. ``We come into every season with the same attitude to be successful. We go out and play hard every day. We have the weapons and have the staff to win pretty much all the games we play if we play our game.''
http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/2/140484