Elizabeth Williams returned to the Duke starting lineup on Wednesday night, as the Blue Devils beat Michigan, 71-54 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Williams, who has been recovering from last year’s stress fracture, had been coming off the bench. Tonight was her first start and she made it a good one. She finished with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting. She hauled in seven rebounds and blocked two shots.

It got a little dicey at the end of the first half, as Duke racked up the fouls. Haley Peters picked up her second foul with 5:24 to go and that coincided with Michigan’s comeback. Duke led 34-20 with about five minutes to go. At the half, Duke led 35-32 (a 15-1 Wolverines run). They did not score a field goal over then final 6:38 of the half.

Oh to be a fly on the wall during halftime with Coach P.

The Blue Devils were on the attack to start the second half, so Coach P’s talk must have worked. They went on a 9-2 run to open the half and pulled away from there.

Freshman Alexis Jones had a big second half. After not scoring in the first half, she went 4-for-7 with nine points in the second half. She also dished out seven assists (which led the team). Peters also did not score in the first half, but hit three straight baskets in the second half to finish with six points. She also hauled in nine rebounds.

Chelsea Gray led all scorers with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting. She hauled in three rebounds, dished out five assists, and had five steals. Unfortunately, her free throws made streak came to an end at 37.

Richa Jackson entered the game late for her first action of the season. She has been recovering from knee surgery (she missed last year’s tournament).

For Michigan, Jenny Ryan scored 18 points on 7-of -10 shooting. She hauled in five rebounds. However, the Wolverines committed 20 turnovers, which led to 26 Duke points. They also shot below their average from behind the arc (36% compared to their average of 42%).

*Next up for the Blue Devils, they return home to play California on Sunday afternoon.