Going into Friday night's game against No. 14 N.C. State, the 12th-ranked women's basketball team had everything going its way--a home crowd, a six-game winning streak and possible sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Duke even managed to break out of the pattern of a lethargic first half, taking a 41-37 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Still, all of those factors didn't add up to a victory, as the Wolfpack fought back, relying on clutch free-throw shooting at the end to knock off the Blue Devils 80-74.
"We were in the driver's seat, as far as ACC standings and finishing in first place," junior Kira Orr said Friday following the game. "It's really disappointing to come out today with the type of effort that we gave knowing we controlled our own destiny.
"If you don't come out ready to play against a team like N.C. State, you're going to definitely have to pay the price."
Before the game, N.C. State coach Kay Yow told her team to work on rebounds and turnovers. The Wolfpack grabbed 37 rebounds, the same amount as the Blue Devils. But more of the State boards were converted into points on the scoreboard.
On turnovers, N.C. State turned the ball over four fewer times than the Blue Devils, while converting Duke's miscues into 16 points.
For the first 20 minutes, it looked as if the Wolfpack would be the ones leaving with the loss. Duke's game plan was to work the ball inside and try to get State's sophomore sensation, center Chasity Melvin, in foul trouble. The plan worked perfectly, as Melvin picked up her second foul midway through the first half. The Blue Devils also got the Wolfpack's shooting guard, Nicole Mitchell, in foul trouble when she picked up her third foul late in the first stanza.
Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors said although the Blue Devils began the game by perfectly executing their game plan, but they suddenly stopped the execution when it was beginning to work.
"I thought we didn't do a good job when we got Chasity Melvin in foul trouble and when we got Nicole Mitchell in foul trouble," Goestenkors said. "We started the game going inside, got Melvin in foul trouble and then stopped going inside.
"Overall, I'm not happy with our level of effort, but I give much credit to N.C. State because I thought they played an outstanding game."
Early in the second half, the Blue Devils had a six-point lead at 45-39. But that was when the Wolfpack went on a 9-0 run to take a three-point lead, its first since the 14-minute mark in the first half. For the next few minutes, both teams traded baskets, and at the 11:11 mark N.C. State led 61-58.
At that point, both teams stopped scoring. For seven and a half minutes, the Wolfpack outscored the Blue Devils 7-6. Goestenkors said she was concerned with her team's inability to score.
"We're usually an outstanding offensive team and we weren't doing the job," Goestenkors said. "We stopped going inside... We stopped attacking the basket, and that's just very disappointing. We usually are very offensive minded. We just stopped attacking, and I don't know why."
The points column on the final stats sheet didn't reflect the Blue Devils' offensive woes. Four starters scored in double figures--led by Tyish Hall's 14 points--while two reserves managed nine points. The stat that showed where the Blue Devils faltered was the 37.1 field goal percentage in the second half, as compared to the Wolfpack's 48.5 percent.
Even with the offensive concerns, two Orr free throws cut the Duke deficit to two at 68-66 with 3:29 left in the game. Yet the Blue Devils would come no closer to the Wolfpack the rest of the game. Senior Alison Day said at no point did she feel either team was in control of the game. The confidence Duke normally has wasn't there.
"They have a great offense, and our offense was not there tonight," Day said. "It hurts when they get buckets around the basket. We had to work so hard for every shot, and when they get early buckets like that, I guess it hurts your confidence."
All year long, Goestenkors has praised her team's efforts on the defensive front. The Blue Devils entered Friday's contest second in scoring defense and third in defensive field goal percentage in the conference. When Duke needed a defensive stop late in the game, its defense wasn't there. Goestenkors knows her team is going to have to have that defensive effort in its upcoming ACC contests.
"I was very proud of what we had been able to accomplish," Goestenkors said. "And I felt like this game we let each other down. At no time did we get a stop when we needed a stop. We didn't do the job."
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