Joanne P. McCallie wasn't sure what to make of her milestone. She didn't even realize it until after the game.
Jasmine Thomas scored 14 points to help No. 6 Duke defeat Southern California 75-50 on Monday night for McCallie's 400th career victory.
''I don't know if that's good or bad or what that is,'' McCallie said. ''I just hope there's many more.
''I have been blessed with a lot of great people to work with,'' she added. ''In 19 years of coaching, there have been a lot of great staff members and a lot of great players. It makes it fun.''
Krystal Thomas added 11 points for the Blue Devils (2-0), who beat USC for the third consecutive season.
Briana Gilbreath scored 12 points for the Trojans (1-1), who shot 31.5 percent from the floor. Ashley Corral added 10 points for Southern California.
Duke shot 41.7 percent from the floor, augmenting that figure by posting a 26-9 advantage in second-chance points. Duke outrebounded the Trojans 50-37.
''We knew coming in here that we had our work cut out for us,'' USC coach Michael Cooper said. ''It's tough to deal with size. If you get beat like that on the boards, you're not going to win many games.''
Haley Peters led Duke, grabbing 13 rebounds in 19 minutes. Krystal Thomas and Allison Vernerey added nine rebounds apiece, each pulling down six offensive rebounds.
The Blue Devils, who had a 40-22 lead at halftime, led by at least 14 points for the entire second half. Southern California got to 49-35 with 13 1/2 minutes remaining, but Duke pulled away with a 6-0 spurt highlighted by a three-point play by Peters.
''The team played great in terms of hustling and playing together defensively, rebounding and just really playing gritty basketball,'' McCallie said.
Competing in front a crowd that featured a handful of players from rival North Carolina, the Blue Devils came up with 12 steals while forcing Southern California into 17 turnovers. The Trojans shot just 4 for 19 from 3-point range and 12 for 24 from the free throw line.
''We were taking them out of some things that they're comfortable running and forcing them to go to other things,'' Thomas said.
The Blue Devils took control early, ripping off an 18-2 run on their way to a 22-7 lead with 12 1/2 minutes remaining in the first half. Vernerey and Richa Jackson scored five points apiece off the bench during the surge, with Jackson making a transition layup and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to push Duke ahead 18-7.
The Trojans answered with a 12-4 spurt after a timeout to cut Duke's lead to 26-19 with seven minutes remaining on back-to-back baskets by Jacki Gemelos, but they never got closer.
Duke closed the half with a 14-3 run on the strength of two layups by Thomas to take its 18-point lead into halftime.
The big difference in the first half was on the glass, where the Blue Devils outrebounded USC 27-18. Duke pulled away thanks to its 14-0 advantage on second-chance points.
''They have posts who like to play out on the floor a little bit,'' Peters said. ''If you crashed hard and you pursued the ball, the boards were open.''
