No. 2 Duke downs Marquette 78-61

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

MILWAUKEE, WISC. – The second-ranked Duke Blue Devils stayed undefeated and earned a 78-61 road win over the Marquette Golden Eagles at the Al McGuire Center on Sunday.

Elizabeth Williams (23 points, 4 blocks, 3 steals) and Alexis Jones (19 points, 2 assists, 4 steals) each scored season highs while Chelsea Gray’s double-double (12 points, 13 assists, 9 rebounds) coupled with Tricial Liston’s (13 points, 5 rebounds) three triples were enough to top their hosts by the final buzzer.

Redshirt freshman Amber Henson started in her first collegiate game for Duke as forward Haley Peters missed her first game after making 74 consecutive starts due to a knee injury sustained in the Blue Devils’ recent 88-69 victory over Vanderbilt,

Though not scoring any points during her 10 minutes of play, Henson platooned with freshman Oderah Chidom who played significant minutes and contributed nine points and five rebounds to the win.

Leading 33-24 at halftime, the Blue Devils’ 60-percent shooting performance from the field during the final half ensured that they would leave with a win even while being outrebounded for the first time this season by a margin of 45-35 in favor of the Golden Eagles.

In missing a triple-double performance for the second straight game, Gray’s playmaking helped Duke tally a desirable 21 total team assists and pushed the Blue Devils’ overall record to a perfect 5-0.

Duke now prepares to travel to St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands) where it will tip off against Xavier in opening-round play of the Paradise Jam which takes place Nov. 28-30.

After playing the Musketeers, the Blue Devils will then match up against the Central Michigan Chippewas and Kansas Jayhawks in successive days to round out their holiday tournament schedule before returning home to host their next top-25 opponent, the Purdue Boilermakers, on Dec. 5.