DURHAM, N.C. ? Duke kept taking the ball from Texas and making free throws. For the fourth-ranked Blue Devils, that added up to another easy victory against a ranked opponent.
Wanisha Smith scored 11 of her 18 points in the first half to lead Duke to an 80-52 victory over the 22nd-ranked Longhorns on Sunday.
Lindsey Harding had 14 points, and Abby Waner added 13 for Duke (9-0), which shook off a slow start to earn its third consecutive rout of a ranked team in a seven-day span. The Blue Devils also beat No. 19 Rutgers by 40 points and No. 11 Vanderbilt by 21.
“I thought the games would be closer, the final scores would be closer, but I’m proud of my team,” Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. “It’s a young team, but it’s shown they have that killer instinct. … This team has proven over this three-game stretch that they’re able to get good teams down and keep them down.”
Texas forward Tiffany Jackson, who entered the game averaging nearly 20 points, finished with eight points on 4-of-13 shooting and failed to reach double figures for the first time in 16 games.
“It kind of forced me to take outside shots against double-teams and sometimes even triple,” Jackson said.
No. 3 Oklahoma 87, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 42
Norman, Okla. – Courtney Paris had 24 points and 11 rebounds, her 36th straight double-double, and Oklahoma routed Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the Sooners’ 22nd straight regular-season win and their first home game in almost a month.