Sunday the women's basketball team showed that it can bounce back after a tough loss.
On Thursday night, Duke (6-1) will undertake its next mission: to open its Atlantic Coast Conference season with a victory. The No. 15 Blue Devils will contend with an athletic, experienced Georgia Tech (3-1) squad at 7:00 P.M. in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
After Saturday's loss to No. 6 Old Dominion, Duke rallied to defeat Richmond the next day. In making a comeback Sunday, it learned that it can recover from a loss and that it can contend with other teams in the upper echelon of the NCAA. The Blue Devils hope to apply these lessons and continue on an upswing in Thursday's contest.
"I think we're heading in the right direction," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. "I think we saw some very good things this weekend from our team. We saw that we could fight back. We saw that we could play against the top teams in the country even without [senior forward] Tye Hall.
"I think we questioned ourselves a little bit before the tournament because we hadn't gone up against any great competition. [ODU] jumped on us early, and I was just proud of the way we fought back after a tough loss. I was proud of the way they focused and the way they were ready to play against Richmond."
Thursday's game will be a crucial one for Duke, as it is not only its ACC opener but also its last contest before a nine-day stretch without any games. A successful outcome will fuel the Blue Devils' momentum going into this hiatus from competition.
Both Duke and Georgia Tech are extremely quick, athletic squads, so Duke may feel as if it's playing itself on Thursday. In addition, the Blue Devils and the Yellow Jackets, who are returning all of their starters from last year, both count depth as one of their strengths, with a plethora of talented reserves who can step off the pine and onto the court at any time.
This is where the similarities end, however. While Duke's greatest strength lies in its backcourt, paced by leading scorer Kira Orr, Georgia Tech relies heavily on its frontcourt. Forwards Carla Munnion and 1996 All-ACC performer Kisha Ford lead the ACC in scoring and rebounding, respectively. If the Blue Devils intend to conquer the Yellow Jackets, they will have to contain these two powerhouses.
"We have to play great defense," Goestenkors said. "The key to the game will be understanding [Georgia Tech], and their strengths and weaknesses. They're a small team, and they play their guards in the post position. We need to take advantage of that in our offense and get the ball to [sophomore center Payton Black]."
Goestenkors expects Georgia Tech to make up for its lack of height-only two of its players are over 6-foot-by double-teaming Black in the post. In order to counteract this strategy, Duke has been practicing the past week with that eventuality in mind.
Duke will also have to overcome the obstacle presented by its youth and inexperience. With Hall still recovering from a stress fracture in her pelvis, the starting lineup has contained at least three freshmen and sophomores in every game. Despite their youth, the Blue Devils have rapidly accustomed themselves to Duke's traditionally high level of play.
"I'm pretty proud of the team because we've done so well thus far, especially since we are so young," Orr said. "I think our younger players have done a great job stepping up and adjusting to this level of basketball very quickly.
"Right now our weakest points are the small mental lapses we have through games and the times we let one mistake build into a lot of mistakes, rather than just making one mistake and ending it right there. As people get more experience on the team farther down the road, we'll get better at that."
During its first six games, Duke overcame the setbacks of inexperience and injury to earn a place in the highest ranks of NCAA women's basketball. If it can commence its ACC season victoriously and send the Yellow Jackets buzzing home, it will continue on its rise to the top.
"We'll just have to play as hard as we can and take care of Duke basketball, show them what we're all about," Orr said. "I think if we play as hard as we are capable of, we should beat them."
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