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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- It usually takes a couple years before
a recruiting class lives up to its potential.
|  | | Penn State's Katrena Carr, left, and Duke's Rochelle Parent battle for a loose ball. |
It took Duke's fabulous freshmen only a couple games.
Four Blue Devil freshmen combined for 53 points Monday night to
lead No. 3 Duke to an 88-87 victory over Penn State (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today, No. 9 AP).
And while their points kept Duke ahead, it was their poise that
sealed the victory.
Penn State's Lisa Shepherd banked in a 3-pointer with 6.2
seconds left to bring the Lady Lions within a point. Duke freshman
Rometra Craig was fouled and missed both free throws, but rebounded
her own miss and held the ball as time expired.
"I found out our freshmen could play under pressure quite
well," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said.
Freshman Alana Beard led Duke with 21 points. Classmates Iciss
Tillis added 16 points, Craig had 12 and Chrystal White had four.
"They're that good," Penn State coach Rene Portland said.
"They're the No. 1 recruiting class in the country -- they're that
good."
Sheana Mosch scored 14 points for Duke, and Georgia Schweitzer
had 13.
Shepherd led all scorers with 27 points. Maren Walseth added 17
and Jessica Brungo had 12 for Penn State, which lost its home
opener for the first time since 1988, when Pittsburgh beat the Lady
Lions 74-70.
The score was tied at halftime, but Tillis keyed an 11-5 run,
hitting a 3-pointer and scoring a fast-break basket off a steal, to
put the Blue Devils up 47-41 with 17:17 left.
Penn State briefly regained the lead, but a 3-pointer by Craig
and a three-point play by Beard put the Blue Devils up 72-66 with
8:25 left. The Lady Lions tied the game at 74-74 with 6:18 left,
but another three-point play by Beard gave Duke the lead for good.
Duke trailed by as many as 10 points early, but a 13-3 run,
including six points from Mosch, tied the game 28-28 with 2:46 left
in the half. The score was 36-36 at halftime.
Portland said her team didn't respond well when Duke began to
cut into the lead.
"It was four points -- boom, boom -- and everyone's head went
down," Portland said.
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ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
Duke Clubhouse
Penn State Clubhouse
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