The Duke women’s basketball team had a bit of a test early in their first road game, but they pulled away midway in the first half to beat Xavier, 82-59. They led by ten points with 11 minutes to go in the first half and never looked back.

Allison Vernerey got Duke on the board just five seconds into the game with a layup, assisted by Chelsea Gray. That was one of Gray‘s ten assists on the day (five in each half). She finished with a game-high 22 points, hauled in six rebounds, and committed just two turnovers (one in each half).

Duke shot 65.5% from the field in the first half, and although they cooled off in the second half a bit, they still shot 59% for the game. They out-rebounded Xavier 34-29, though they did allow eight offensive boards. The turnovers are still a little too high (they committed 16 of them), but they forced 17.

Alexis Jones had the best game of her collegiate career in her first ever road game. She scored 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting. She hauled in four rebounds, dished out five assists, and had two steals.

Vernerey did not have a great day on offense (just 2-of-4), but she blocked five shots and hauled in three rebounds. Haley Peters scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and hauled in seven rebounds. Tricia Liston had a rough day with her shot (just 3-of-9), but she did haul in six rebounds.

Elizabeth Williams did not start again, but did start the second half. She made eight of her eleven shots while scoring 16 points. She also hauled in six rebounds and blocked two shots. Freshman Sierra Moore also did not start, but scored six points off the bench on 3-of-3 shooting.

Ashley Wanniger was the only Musketeer in double-figures with 15 points. She made four of her eight 3-pointers. The one positive for Xavier is that they do not foul. They only committed seven fouls total compared to 18 by Duke.

Duke continues on the road, as they head to Michigan to play in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday night.