Jan. 31, 2002
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) – Milli Martinez didn’t take long to say who she thought was the best team she’s faced in her four years at Georgia Tech.
“This team tonight,” Martinez said after No. 5 Duke beat Georgia Tech 86-50 Thursday night.
“All their players know what they’re supposed to do. They know their roles and they just get it done.”
Iciss Tillis had 23 points and Monique Currie had 17 points and 10 rebounds as Duke (18-3, 10-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its ninth straight.
The Blue Devils have won 15 of 16 – the only loss was to No. 2 Tennessee – and 18 straight against Georgia Tech (13-7, 6-4).
Currie scored Duke’s first six points and Alana Beard the next eight as Duke jumped out to a 14-2 lead. Tillis and Beard had 11 points each to lead Duke to a 37-18 halftime lead.
“There have been some great teams in the history of the ACC,” said Georgia Tech coach Agnus Berenato, whose team had its six-game winning streak snapped. “Because of this team’s chemistry, they may be one of the best ACC teams we’ve ever seen.”
Sonja Mallory led Georgia Tech with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Megan Isom added 10 points.
Beard finished with 15 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists. Currie also had four assists.
Georgia Tech missed 15 of its first 20 shots and had 12 turnovers in its first 30 possessions. The Yellow Jackets were 7-of-31 in the first half in their lowest scoring half of the season.
Georgia Tech shot 29 percent, including 2-for-11 from 3-point range, and had 23 turnovers. The Yellow Jackets had just three field goals in a 11:10 span of the second half as Duke expanded its lead past 30.
“We had a couple of kids who were just off tonight,” Berenato said. “I don’t know if you blame it on the moon, the stars, the sky, whatever. It just didn’t happen for them tonight.”
Duke’s Sheana Mosch, who averages 11.5 points per game, had just six after spraining her ankle in practice on Wednesday.
“We weren’t quite as crisp on offense without her,” Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. “She’s usually the first one out on the break. We didn’t seem to have as much firepower.”
