COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- When the women's basketball team plays Texas A&M tonight in the second round of the National Invitational Tournament, it will be the first time the two teams have ever faced each other.
But that doesn't mean the Blue Devils will be unfamiliar with the Aggies. According to Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors, the two teams run very similar game plans, as evidenced by their similar statistics from last year.
"They are very similar to us," she said. "They look to run. They are probably not as fast as we are up and down the floor, but their post players are just a little bit stronger inside."
Duke advanced to the second round by destroying Virginia Commonwealth 93-51 at home Wednesday. The Aggies made it this far by knocking off LaMar 111-83 at home. Texas A&M earned the honor of hosting the game by having a larger attendance at Wednesday's game.
Both teams return a majority of their 1994-95 starting lineups. Duke has four of its starters back--seniors Allison Day and Jennifer Scanlon and juniors Kira Orr and Tyish Hall. The Aggies do two better than Duke as they return four full-time starters and two part-time starters from a team that went 21-9 last season (9-5 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference).
Goestenkors compared the Aggies' defensive game to that of North Carolina, which means a lot of pressure on the ball.
"They are constantly changing defenses and putting pressure on you," Goestenkors said. "They get up in the passing lane and deny reversal passes."
Against VCU, Duke played outstanding defense in the first half. Then, with a lead of more than 30 points entering the second half, Duke relaxed its intensity. While the Rams were incapable of getting back into the game, the Aggies may be able to if Duke does the same thing tonight.
"We're going to have to be at the top of our game," Goestenkors said. "We're also going to have to play 40 minutes of great defensive basketball."
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