Durham, N.C. – Abby Waner enjoyed playing against some familiar faces.
Waner, a graduate of Highlands Ranch High School, had 23 points – including five 3-pointers – and six assists to lead No. 2 Duke to a 99-52 victory over Colorado State on Thursday night.
“I try to approach each game with the same attitude, but, yeah, it is fun to play against people you know,” Waner said. “Scoring was not the issue for me.”
Waner and her sister Emily will be returning home for the holidays on the same flight to Denver as the Colorado State team.
Waner set the Duke freshman record for 3-pointers, and her 8-for-15 shooting overall led the team’s 50 percent shooting (35-for-70) from the field.
Colorado State coach Jen Warden is glad Waner left her native state. As an assistant at Colorado, Warden tried to recruit Waner to Boulder.
“If I had succeeded, she’d be playing against us for Colorado right now,” Warden said. “Abby has always been something special.”
The Blue Devils (9-0) held a 13-12 lead six minutes into the game, but shortly after coach Gail Goestenkors exhorted her team during a timeout to tighten up the defense, Duke went on a 31-3 run in the final 13:58 of the first half.
The Blue Devils led 54-18 at halftime and Colorado State (5-4) never threatened after that. Melissa Dennett had 16 points and 10 assists for CSU.
