CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The number wasn’t on the stat sheet, but it was on Joanne Boyle’s mind.
The number was 16 — as in, the number of layups Boyle was told the Cavaliers missed in a 62-41 loss to No. 5 Duke on Friday night in a game that Virginia had within reach for about the first 30 minutes.
“You can’t leave those kind of shots out there,” Boyle said.
Especially not against a team that has already beaten you 19 times in a row, and is off to a 10-0 start in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
The Cavaliers even did a good job against Duke scoring leader Elizabeth Williams, who got many of her 18 points as Duke pulled away in the final minutes, but the Blue Devils had answers in Haley Peters and Chelsea Gray.
Peters scored 16 points and Gray had 14.
“That’s what makes them a great team,” Boyle said, “that they have other people that can step up.”
Duke (21-1, 11-0 ACC) used a 21-5 burst spanning the halves to turn a 22-13 deficit into a 34-27 lead. After Virginia closed within four at 34-30, Duke scored nine of the next 11 points and cruised to victory.
Williams scored 14 of her 18 points after halftime.
Ataira Franklin led Virginia (14-8, 6-5) with 15 points. The Cavaliers had won three of their last four overall, shot just 26.7 percent (16 of 60), had 21 turnovers and have not beaten the Blue Devils since a 61-49 victory on Jan. 30, 2000.
Peters and Gray scored six each during the big run, with Peters getting it started with the first two baskets to start an 11-0 run to end the first half. She started the scoring in the second half before Gray made back-to-back 3-pointers, the second from about 25 feet. Williams’ two free throws made it 34-27.
Franklin’s 3-pointer from the top of the key pulled Virginia within 34-30, briefly exciting the crowd at John Paul Jones Arena, but Gray scored on a fast break and Peters had a three-point play.
After Simone Egwu’s putback for Virginia, Williams and Alexis Jones scored inside for Duke and the Blue Devils were on their way to their 28th consecutive road victory against an unranked opponent.
Most of Williams’ points came as the Blue Devils pulled away in the final five minutes.
The Cavaliers started quickly with Franklin scoring seven points in a 16-5 run that gave them a 20-11 lead just past the midpoint of the half. But it all stopped after a sequence in which Crosby made a steal and her left-handed layup missed, Franklin rebounded and missed twice, the second called a jump ball.
The Cavaliers scored just two points the rest of the way as Liston scored seven points and Peters four in a 13-2 burst to close the half, giving the Blue Devils a 24-22 lead heading into the locker room.
They also did it without much contribution from scoring leader Williams, who played 16 minutes in the half, but managed just four points, three rebounds and two assists. She made two of five field goal tries.
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