DURHAM, N.C. - In recent weeks, Monique Currie practically carried No.3 Duke in its Atlantic Coast Conference games.
Sunday, the Blue Devils gave their hurting star plenty of help.
Currie scored 14 and was one of four players in double figures to lift Duke past No.24 Florida State 75-64 as the Blue Devils set a record for consecutive home wins in ACC play.
Jessica Foley and freshmen Wanisha Smith and Laura Kurz scored 11 each to help Duke earn its 31st straight league home win. Virginia won 30 straight from 1992-96.
Kurz's production led a strong effort from Duke's bench, which outscored FSU's 21-0.
"We need that to be successful," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. "It's a long season. All the teams are really focused on Monique. Any time she puts the ball on the floor, they're double-teaming her. So we need some players to step up, and I think we're getting that."
That effort was particularly needed Sunday. Currie learned this weekend she has stress fractures in her left foot, likely requiring Goestenkors to ease the burden on her leading scorer.
Currie, who averages 18 points and eight rebounds, has been the main reason the Blue Devils have continued to thrive despite the departures of Alana Beard and Iciss Tillis.
Two weeks ago, Currie scored 22 of her 24 in the second half of a 56-51 loss at North Carolina. Currie followed by scoring 18 of her 24 in the second half, including the go-ahead jumper with 41.2 seconds left, in a 60-57 win against Maryland.
Last week, she had 18 points and the go-ahead three-point play with 38 seconds left in a 52-49 win against North Carolina State.
But after going 5-for-14 against the Seminoles (19-5, 5-4), she will have time to rest before the Blue Devils travel to No.20 Maryland next weekend.
"It was a little uncomfortable," Currie said of her foot. "I can't run like I normally run, but it was relatively fine."
ALABAMA 77, UF 66: Monique Bivins scored 27 and the host Crimson Tide held the Gators to 29.7 percent shooting to hand Florida its fifth loss in a row.
The Gators trailed by as much as 64-39 before a 16-2 run got them within 66-55 with 4:17 left. Bernice Mosby scored 10 during the run.
"Our focus was not good tonight," UF coach Carolyn Peck said. "It was not at the level where it needs to be every night in the SEC. No, we never quit when we got down, but we didn't start playing hard until we were in too far of a hole. That's disappointing."
MIAMI 78, VA. TECH 67: Tamara James had 35 points and Yalonda McCormick 13 to lead the host Hurricanes. James shot 13-of-29 from the field and hit all seven of her free-throw attempts.
Top 25
NO.1 LSU 67, MISS. ST. 40: Seimone Augustus had 18 points and the visiting Tigers held the Bulldogs scoreless for almost 14 minutes during the first half. The SEC's stingiest defense held Mississippi State to nine first-half points and kept Tan White, the nation's leading scorer, in check all game.
NO.2 OHIO ST. 78, INDIANA 46: Caity Matter scored 18 and ignited a quick start for the host Buckeyes by hitting her first four shots in Ohio State's 11th straight win. The attendance of 10,434 was third largest for a women's game at 7-year-old Value City Arena.
NO.5 UT 99, OLE MISS 67: Shanna Zolman scored 21 and the host Volunteers tied a school record with 13 3-pointers. Tennessee has won 10 straight since a loss at Rutgers in December.
NO.7 RUTGERS 69, SYRACUSE 61: Cappie Pondexter had 17 of her 21 points in the second half, and the Scarlet Knights used their pressure defense to force 26 turnovers in a tougher than expected win to improve to 10-0 at home.
NO.10 MICH. ST. 68, ILLINOIS 59: Liz Shimek had 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the host Spartans. Shimek scored seven straight in a 20-5 first-half spurt and had a critical three-point play in the closing minutes after the Illini cut a 17-point deficit to two.
NO.14 MINNESOTA 76, MICHIGAN 55: Janel McCarville had 21 points and 15 rebounds to lead the visiting Golden Gophers. Minnesota played most of the game without second-leading scorer and rebounder Jamie Broback, who sprained her left ankle early in the first half.
NO.18 GEORGIA 68, KENTUCKY 64: Freshman Tasha Humphrey scored a career-high 32, including the last five points for the host Bulldogs. Humphrey's free throws with 54.3 seconds left put Georgia ahead for good at 65-64.
NO.20 MARYLAND 87, CLEMSON 82: Ashleigh Newman hit seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 21 points for the visiting Terrapins, who sent the Tigers to their eighth straight loss.
NO.22 TEMPLE 75, DUQUESNE 53: Kamesha Hairston had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead the visiting Owls.
PURDUE 50, NO.23 PENN ST. 44: Katie Gearlds scored 21, including two free throws with 21.7 seconds left, and the host Boilermakers won for the third time in eight games.
