Four points separate the No. 16 women's basketball team from being atop the Atlantic Coast Conference and its current 1-2 ACC mark. The Blue Devils lost to No. 14 N.C. State 75-73 on Jan. 4, then fell to No. 6 Virginia 61-60 four nights later. Still, head coach Gail Goestenkors isn't concerned with her team's current conference mark. In fact, she would rather face the tougher teams in the league earlier than later in the year.
"I think it's the best thing that can happen to us," Goestenkors said. "I would rather play these games and find out exactly where we are against the top teams and where we need to improve. I don't want our team to have a false sense of security."
Tonight, the Blue Devils get a chance to even their conference record with a battle against Maryland at 7 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Terrapins are currently 6-5, 1-1 in the ACC. That lone conference win came against Georgia Tech, when the Yellow Jackets were undefeated at 10-0. Maryland's only two contests against ranked teams resulted in blowout losses--one to then-No. 6 Penn State and the other to N.C. State.
The Terps are led by sophomore forward Stephanie Cross and redshirt freshman guard Kelley Gibson. Cross is averaging 14.7 points and eight rebounds per game, while Gibson recently entered the starting lineup, having scored the team's final six points against Georgia Tech. Goestenkors compared Gibson to Virginia's star guard Monick Foote due to her ability to hit the outside shot and penetrate.
"At every position, they have four players who can shoot the three," Goestenkors said. "Kelley Gibson was the best freshman recruit they have ever had. She makes them a much better team."
Goestenkors said the key to winning tonight's game is to stop the Terrapins' speed and force them into a quarter-court offense. The Blue Devils are also going to have to handle Maryland's defensive pressure, by staying poised and not making as many turnovers at critical junctures as they have in the past two games.
Almost any conference game is considered an important contest. But for the Blue Devils, a win tonight is even more necessary considering the team's 1-2 record. The Terrapins were picked to finish eighth in the conference in preseason polls, so by the numbers the game should be an easy win for the Blue Devils. Senior center Alison Day said Duke will come out hungry for a win and will not let the game go down to the wire.
"I don't think that losing is really an option," Day said. "I think we are going to go into the game and really take it to them."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.