On paper, the women's basketball team should hold an advantage over Wake Forest as the two teams meet in Winston-Salem Thursday night. The Demon Deacons (10-11 overall, 2-9 Atlantic Coast Conference) fell to Duke 82-70 in Durham on Jan. 9, and haven't won since, a losing streak that has now stretched to eight games.
But as the 20th-ranked Blue Devils (14-6, 6-4 ACC) learned on Sunday-when they narrowly escaped defeat to Florida State, which is winless in conference-they can't let their guard down in any game, regardless of the opposing team's record.
Wake Forest gave No. 6 North Carolina a scare on Sunday, rallying in the second half and eventually losing by only four, 75-71. The Demon Deacons need to break out of their slump sometime, and Duke hopes it won't be their long-awaited third ACC victory.
"I'm always concerned," Blue Devil coach Gail Goestenkors said. "But Wake Forest is a rival for us, so we're always up for that game, and it doesn't matter what the records are or who won the first time."
Wake Forest is led by six-foot-three center Tracy Connor, an All-Conference selection last season, who averages 13 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. In the two schools' first meeting of the season, the Blue Devils were able to contain Connor, who shot only 6-of-15 from the floor. Duke senior center Tye Hall, on the other hand, scored 20 points by converting 7-of-8 field goal attempts.
"We need to play with poise," Goestenkors said. "They're an aggressive, scrappy team, who likes to change defenses. We've got to take care of the basketball and not get caught up in whether they're playing man-to-man or zone."
Demon Deacon senior forward RaeAnna Mulholland, who paced Wake Forest with 20 points in its first matchup with the Blue Devils and was its second-leading scorer and rebounder overall, was dismissed from the team on Jan. 20 for violating team policy. The oft-injured Connor has also been bothered by a shoulder problem this season.
"Whenever Tracy gets the ball we're going to double team," Goestenkors said. "She's better now that she's recovered from some injuries. We've got to be award of her and just try to do the same things we did the first game."
Duke will bring a balanced attack into the game, with three players-Hall, sophomore forward Payton Black, and senior guard Kira Orr-averaging over 16 points per game. With their twin towers of the six-foot-three Hall and six-foot-four Black, the Blue Devils have been able to dominate inside during recent games.
"We're going to keep going with what's been good for us," Goestenkors said, "utilizing the high-low game. Tye and Payton have the height, speed, and quickness, so we'll try to press the ball down the floor, and if we don't get the fast break we have to be patient."
Duke will host Maryland on Sunday, looking to avenge a 68-64 road loss on Jan. 12. But first it will need to take care of business versus Wake Forest.
"Our goal from the beginning has been to win the conference," Goestenkors said. "After the first half [of the season] we were 4-4 and in fourth place. The fact is we need to play better basketball, we can't afford to not play well if we want to stay in the thick of things."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.