Following their third loss of the season, the Blue Devils can get back on track with a win at home against the Catamounts.
With two games remaining before the start of ACC play, No. 12 Duke returns to Cameron Indoor Stadium Tuesday to play Western Carolina at 7 p.m. The game is a chance for the Blue Devils to rebound after suffering a 71-61 defeat to then-No. 8 Kentucky in which Duke was hampered by self-inflicted wounds—foul trouble and turnovers.
"Obviously, [turnovers] had a very significant impact, [and were] probably the difference in the game," Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said following the Dec. 20 loss to the Wildcats. "[Kentucky] played very physical basketball and they played really hard. Our turnovers—we had some really crazy turnovers—but you have to give credit to the defense for causing some of those."
The bout with the Catamounts (3-8) is also an opportunity for freshman Crystal Primm to expand her role after the departure of junior Kendall Cooper.
Primm posted a career-high 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting against the Wildcats just one day after it was announced that Cooper would leave the team for the remainder of the season and would not enroll in spring semester classes.
The 5-foot-11 guard provided a surge of energy off the bench against Kentucky and helped to ameliorate Cooper’s absence by playing with purpose and breaking down the Wildcat defense with her dribble penetration.
Primm has not seen the minutes of fellow rookies Kyra Lambert and Angela Salvadores early this season—she has played 16.8 per contest this season—so Tuesday provides the West Palm Beach, Fla., native a chance to build upon her performance against the Wildcats and make a case for more playing time on a young team heading into ACC play.
"We have a lot of confidence in our bench, and we want our bench to productive,” McCallie said. “That was a good show by Crystal to be that aggressive as she was to the basket [against Kentucky]."
The Blue Devils (9-3) have played well at home this season and head into Tuesday’s contest riding a 149-game winning streak against unranked nonconference opponents on their home court. The Catamounts are still winless on the road this season in six tries.
Sophomore guard Ace Easter is Western Carolina’s leading scorer, averaging 9.4 points per game including a 23-point performance against Florida A&M Nov. 29. Sophomore forward Sherae Bonner balances Easter's perimeter scoring by providing a bruising presence in the paint for the Catamounts. The Whitesburg, Ga., native leads her team on the glass—averaging 6.5 rebounds a game—and trails only Easter in point production with 8.1 points per game, but will run up against a sizable Duke frontcourt Tuesday in the form of 6-foot-6 forward Azurá Stevens and 6-foot-3 center Lyneé Belton.
Duke struggled to defend Kentucky down low, allowing the Wildcats to score 38 points in the paint. Heading into Tuesday, the Blue Devils will need to correct the mistakes they made in Lexington, Ky., if they hope to contain Bonner and the rest of the Western Carolina frontcourt and preserve their triple digit-winning streak.
"We were horrendous defensively inside,” McCallie said. "You wouldn’t expect them to be able to capitalize like that against our players."
Redshirt sophomore Rebecca Greenwell will also be looking to rebound Tuesday after the Kentucky defense held her to one point on 0-for-6 shooting in her first on-court appearance in front of friends and family at Rupp Arena. The off shooting night was a rarity for the 6-foot-1 guard, who has teamed with Stevens to score 31.9 points per game—the top scoring duo in the ACC.
The return to Durham also bodes well for freshman floor general Angela Salvadores. The Leon, Spain, native has played her best surrounded by the comforts of home, averaging 9.8 points, 4.2 assists and 1.8 rebounds and shooting 53.8 percent from the field on Coach K Court.
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