Top Five Highlights
1/22/99 Tar Heel Tarring
Duke's perfect conference record on the line, a seventh-ranked UNC team protecting its home floor, a capacity crowd and the renewal of the rivalry-the stage was set for a 40-minute war.
Leave it up to the Blue Devils to ruin the storyline.
Before the first ever sellout crowd for a women's game at Carmichael Auditorium, the Blue Devils seized control of the contest from the tip in a 93-71 thrashing.
Crisp passing, flawless execution and a few UNC miscues helped Duke open up a 27-11 lead eight minutes into the first half, and the Tar Heels would not get any closer than 12 points the rest of the way.
12/28/98 Misery to triumph
Almost exactly a year ago to the date, Howard played arguably the worst game of her career against the Bruins in Duke's 10-point home loss to unranked UCLA. Facing the same team a year later, Howard erased the painful memories of her performance by recording her first career double-double with 10 points and 11 assists.
Rallying behind Howard and Schweitzer, who filled in admirably for an injured Erickson by pouring in a career-high 22, the Blue Devils overcame a 16-point first-half deficit and thumped then-No. 9 UCLA 85-80 in Pauley Pavilion.
"UCLA was a huge win for us," Goestenkors said. "To be able to come back on somebody else's home court, that gave us a lot of confidence."
All season-Post Renaissance Era
After a self-admittedly miserable season last year, VanGorp recommitted herself and developed into a force to be reckoned with inside. By draining the jumpers she clanged off the rim a year ago and grasping a better understanding of the team's system, VanGorp has made herself a viable ACC first-team candidate and perhaps the most irreplaceable player on the team.
1996 All-ACC Freshman team and preseason All-ACC first-team member Payton Black has paralleled VanGorp's resurgence.
1/14/99 Hobbling sharpshooter
Still suffering the effects of a painful foot, Erickson had misfired on 11 of her last 12 shots going into halftime against then-No. 16 Clemson in Cameron. Then with her team down by 10 early in the second, the Blue Devils' sniper regained her touch.
Erickson drilled 6-of-7 from behind the arc and scored 25 in the second half to rally the Blue Devils to an 86-77 victory. Having hit another three earlier in the game, Erickson broke her old team record for three-pointers in a game with seven.
12/6/98 Promise in Paradise
Facing three-time defending champion Tennessee in Disney World, the Blue Devils seemed awed by the Lady Vols' mystique in the first half, taking a 15-point deficit into the locker room.
But the Blue Devils rebounded with fire in the final 20 minutes, attacking the hole and battling basket-for-basket with Tennessee. Duke outscored the undisputed top team in women's basketball 36-35 in the second half.
"That may have been the most important half we've had so far," Goestenkors said.
Top Five Lowlights
All season-Coach turned doctor
If Goestenkors tried her hand at the MCATs after this season, she could very well get into any medical school in the country-she's certainly done enough studying. Having spent most of the season discussing injuries with her players, trainers and the media, Goestenkors is equally familiar with the planar faciatis as she is with the pick-and-roll.
"It's been really tough," Goestenkors said. "We've never been at full strength, the closest we got was before Rochelle [Parent] got hurt. The exciting thing is different people stepping up. When Nicole got hurt, Rochelle stepped up and Georgia stepped up. Now that Ro's hurt, Nicole's stepped up."
11/13/98 San Jose Massacre
Friday the 13th was exactly that for Duke-an absolute nightmare.
It was a chance for the preseason fourth-ranked Blue Devils to demonstrate how good they were against traditional powerhouse Connecticut. It quickly became a systematic destruction not for the faint of heart.
UConn leapt out to a 29-6 lead midway through the first half and cruised to a 104-74 win in San Jose, leaving the Blue Devils "embarrassed" and searching for answers.
11/21/98
Turning the tables
The year before, Duke trounced Notre Dame 80-62 in Cameron. This year on its home floor, the Fighting Irish exacted some revenge, and then some.
Led by Ruth Riley's 20 points and 18 rebounds, then-No. 6 Notre Dame outscored the Blue Devils 48-27 in the second half to blow open a close game and drop Duke to 1-3, its low watermark of the season.
11/17/98 Hokie stunner
After their season-opening trip out west, the Blue Devils came home reeling off their 30-point loss to UConn. A home game against unranked Virginia Tech seemed the perfect get-well, feel-good game.
Somebody forgot to tell the Hokies.
Playing sound, fundamental basketball, Virginia Tech held the Blue Devils at bay and celebrated a 72-70 win as a desperation heave at the buzzer from Krista Gingrich went off the mark.
All season-Support belies success
The Blue Devils are 8-0 in the ACC and riding an 11-game winning streak, but judging by the fan support in Cameron, one might think the Blue Devils are still wallowing in mediocrity.
Home attendance topped the 2,500 mark only once, and that was aided by a large contingent of students camping out for men's games.
Compare that to the capacity crowd at Carmichael Friday night.
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