Before Saturday's contest against Georgia Tech, Duke women's basketball coach Gail Goestenkors told her Blue Devils that the Yellow Jackets were very similar to the Maryland Terrapins. The Terrapins are the only Atlantic Coast Conference team to have upset the Blue Devils this season, winning by 10 in College Park, Md.
For the first 20 minutes of the game, Georgia Tech reminded Duke a little too much of the Terrapins, as the Yellow Jackets and the Blue Devils entered the locker room at halftime tied at 28. One simple mention of the Maryland game motivated the Blue Devils in the second half, as they held Georgia Tech to 28 percent from the floor in the second half to coast to a 70-55 win.
"I said [before the game], 'I hope we learned our lesson from Maryland,'" Goestenkors said. "I feel very fortunate [with the win]. I'm pleased the team came out with intensity in the second half."
The win marked the fifth conference road win for the Blue Devils, as they set a school record by achieving 21 wins in a season. Duke is now 21-5 overall (10-4 in the ACC). The Yellow Jackets fell to 13-10 overall (4-10 in the conference).
From the outset, the Blue Devils hoped to use their size advantage by pushing the ball inside to senior center Alison Day and junior forward Tyish Hall. The same strategy was successful in the two teams' first meeting of the year in Durham, when Hall scored 30 points and Day had 23 to lead the Blue Devils to a 78-66 win.
Instead, the Duke perimeter players concentrated too hard on getting the ball into the paint, and the passes inside evolved into turnovers instead of points. Hall finished the first 20 minutes with only two points and no rebounds, well below her season averages.
"We were working hard, but we just weren't playing smart," Goestenkors said. "We were all out of sync in the first half. We wanted to get the ball into the post. But the players were too focused on throwing the ball inside."
In the second half, the Blue Devils established a strong outside game, which eventually opened up the paint. Goestenkors praised the play of junior point guard Kira Orr in the second stanza, as Orr dealt out seven assists while committing only one turnover. Orr also scored 14 points on the night while grabbing five rebounds.
But Orr's effort didn't top the Blue Devils in the scoring column. Senior guard Jennifer Scanlon led Duke in scoring with 18 points on the night, including 2-for-4 from beyond the three-point arc.
"We came out much more aggressive in the second half," Goestenkors said. "We played very aggressive defense."
The strong defense also coincided with a much-improved inside game. With Orr and Scanlon leading the way on the outside, the Blue Devils' inside game regained its top form. Hall finished the night with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Day managed 13 points-including 3-for-3 from three-point range-and seven rebounds before fouling out. Freshman Payton Black also had a stellar performance off the bench, scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds in 21 minutes of action.
The Blue Devils travel to Clemson Monday night for a 7 p.m. game against the Tigers.
No. 19 Clemson remained in third place in the ACC after narrowly defeating Wake Forest 59-58. Duke now has sole possession of second, one game ahead of Clemson. Goestenkors considers the Tigers the most physical team in the league, an exact opposite of the Blue Devils' style of play.
"We have to be ready to play a physical game," Goestenkors said. "[Clemson] won't give up any easy shots."
Besides fighting the players on the court, the Blue Devils will have to battle the loud crowd which usually attends Tiger games. Goestenkors said the crowd at Clemson demonstrates why the word "fan" is derived from "fanatics."
"They are very into the game," she said. "They are right on the floor and right behind the bench."
A win at Clemson would be one more step for the Blue Devils in sealing the No. 2 seed in the ACC for the upcoming conference tournament. It would also be the Blue Devils' third win over a ranked team in six attempts.
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