No. 25 `Canes Host No. 7 Duke on Thursday
Jan. 13, 2010
CORAL GABLES – The University of Miami women’s basketball team will face its Atlantic Coast Conference foe, the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils at the BankUnited Center on Thursday, Jan 14. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Duke (14-2, 2-0) at Miami (12-2, 1-0)
Thursday, January 14, 2010 / BankUnited Center / Coral Gables, Fla. / 7 p.m.
TV: None
Radio: WVUM FM 90.5
Web/Live Stats: www.hurricanesports.com
Internet Video: None
Internet Audio: wvum.org
The Hurricanes are coming off their biggest win in almost 19 years as they defeated the No. 13/11 Florida State Seminoles in their ACC opener. It was the first time since Dec. 19, 1991 that Miami had defeated a top-15 opponent. Their reward for the victory was a spot in the AP top-25. At No. 25, Miami finds itself in the rankings for the first time since Feb. 23 2004. The ‘Canes have little time to celebrate as they face No. 7 Duke next.
For the first time since joining the ACC in 2004, Miami swept the weekly conference awards. Sophomore Riquna Williams was named the ACC Player of the Week – for the second time – after scoring 27 points in the win over the Seminoles and freshman Morgan Stroman earned ACC Rookie of the Week after scoring 14 points. Stroman also sank 6-of-7 free throws to help seal the win and grabbed five rebounds – all on the offensive side of the court.
A Look at the Blue Devils
Duke is 2-0 in ACC play after defeating Clemson and Wake Forest by an average of 20 points. Its only two losses on the season came to No. 16 Texas A&M and No. 2 Stanford. Duke has an ACC-best seven-game win streak
The Blue Devils are led by Jasmine Thomas who is averaging 15.6 points and 5.1 assists per game. Joy Cheek and Bridgette Mitchell average 10.8 and 9.9 points per game respectively. Krystal Thomas leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game
Duke is averaging 76.8 points and 45.9 rebounds per game as a team. It is shooting 44.4 percent (464-1046) from the floor, 29.6 percent (71-240) from beyond the arc and 66.4 percent (229-345) from the free throw line. The Blue Devils also register 14.4 steals and 5.2 blocked shots per outing, while holding their opponents to 53.8 points per game and a shooting percentage of 34.7 (296-854).
The Series
In six tries, the Hurricanes have never defeated Duke. Last season in Durham, N.C., the Blue Devils downed Miami 73-58. Epiphany Woodson led the ‘Canes with 16 points and Johnson dished out a game-high six assists.
