The women's basketball team opened its season on a positive note by crushing the Maryland Elites 110-83 Sunday in an exhibition game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils seized control early as junior guard Jennifer Scanlon scored 10 points during a 24-6 first-half run that put Duke ahead by 17. The Elites pulled within nine by halftime, but Duke clamped down on defense in the second half and cruised to the victory.
"Our defense was a lot more intense in the second half," senior co-captain Carey Kauffman said. "At first, our defense was very lax, but in the second half, we knew we had to pick it up."
Kauffman scored 15 points, ripped down seven rebounds and dished out four assists in only 17 minutes to lead Duke's balanced attack. Six Blue Devils scored in double figures, with five shooting at or above 70 percent from the field. The team attributed its offensive success to good passing, which set up open, high-percentage shots.
"Offensively, I was very pleased," head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "I felt like we worked the ball in very well."
While the Blue Devils played well offensively and improved on defense, they noticed several areas in which they need to improve. On the boards, Duke outrebounded the Elites 47-40, but the Blue Devils felt they should have done better.
"We did a very poor job of boxing out," Goestenkors said.
In addition, the Blue Devils failed to execute their full-court press successfully. They forced the Elites into 20 turnovers but gave up many easy baskets because of the quickness and versatility of the Maryland players.
"Our defensive transition wasn't particularly good," Goestenkors said. "This was a tough team to defend, but it was a good experience for us because it put people in different situations that they weren't used to."
Elite guard Kim Rhock caused problems all day for the Blue Devils, pouring in 36 points, including six three-pointers. Duke did not think that Rhock would attempt many three-pointers, and when she did step outside, the Blue Devils failed to adjust their game plan.
"We need to do a better job of adjusting during the game," Goestenkors said.
Duke has little time to make adjustments during practice, though, because the Blue Devils must play Croatia in another exhibition game tonight at 7 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium. While the Elites, who had lost only to nationally-ranked Virginia before Sunday's game, posed a relatively tough challenge for Duke, the Croatian team presents the Blue Devils with many more potential problems.
"It's going to be a tough game for us tomorrow," Goestenkors said. "It will be a great experience for us because it will expose our weaknesses on defense."
Croatia -- a team composed of big, fast players who have played together for years -- has already beaten defending national champion North Carolina on its United States tour. The Blue Devils understand that to stay in the game, they need to improve their defense and to run their transition game more effectively than they did Sunday.
"We're best when we get into the transition game, so we want to play great defense by forcing turnovers and making them take quick shots," Goestenkors said.
In addition to playing good defense, the Blue Devils need to rebound better against Croatia. The Croatians boast a size advantage over the Blue Devils, and to start its fast-break offense, Duke needs to play better on the boards as well as defensively.
"If we can get the ball on the rebound or on a steal, we feel like we're going to score," Goestenkors said.
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