Miami Travels to Duke to Take on No. 5/10 Blue Devils
Jan. 8, 2009
CORAL GABLES – The University of Miami women’s basketball team will travel to Durham, N.C. to take on the No. 5/10 Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Friday, Jan. 9. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Miami (10-5, 0-1) at No. 5/10 Duke (12-1, 1-0)
Friday, Jan. 9, 2009 / Cameron Indoor Stadium / Durham, N.C. / 7 p.m.
TV: None
Radio: WVUM 90.5 FM
Web/Live Stats: www.hurricanesports.com
Internet Video: www.ACCSelect.com
Internet Audio: www.wvum.org
Miami was dealt a disappointing loss in its ACC opener to Clemson on Monday. With nine minutes remaining the Hurricanes found themselves up by 13 points but faded down the stretch and fell to the Tigers, 68-74. Lost in the mix however, was the play of Miami’s freshmen, Riquna Williams and Shenise Johnson. Williams had her best day as a collegiate student-athlete as she scored a new career-high with 23. Johnson scored 16 points of her own and each had four steals apiece.
Miami will be playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium for only the second time under Katie Meier’s direction. Meier for Duke from 1986-90 and still ranks among the schools best in points per game and steals. In 2002, Meier was inducted into the inaugural class of the Blue Devils’ Hall of Honor.
A Look at Duke
Duke enters Friday night’s game with a 12-1 record, with its only loss coming to Hartford in November. It has since won 10 straight games including a 56-52 victory over No. 3/4 Stanford.
The Blue Devils are led by Chante Black who is averaging 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Abby Waner and Joy Cheek score 10.0 and 9.6 points per game respectively.
Duke is averaging 75.3 points and 47.4 rebounds per game as a team. It is shooting 41.1 percent (365-888) from the floor, 29.9 percent (56-187) from beyond the arc and 67.5 (193-286) from the free throw line. The Blue Devils also register 14.3 steals and 5.8 blocked shots per outing, while holding their opponents to 52.7 points per game and a shooting percentage of 31.8 (229-721).
The Series
This will be the second conference game of the season for the Hurricanes and the first for the Blue Devils. Duke owns the advantage in the all-time series 5-0, including a 84-72 win at the BankUnited Center a season ago. In that contest, Latoya Drake and LaToya Cunningham scored 11 and eight points respectively.
The Hurricanes return to the BankUnited Center to take on the No. 22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, this Monday, Jan. 12. The game will be televised on FSN Florida and will start at 7 p.m. For ticket information, please call 1-800-Go-Canes or visit hurricanesports.com.
