After defeating seventh-ranked North Carolina by 22 points on the road and then traveling to Florida State for a 17-point victory just three days later, the ninth-ranked women's basketball team got exactly what it needed: rest.
The Blue Devils (17-4, 9-0 in the ACC), just past the mid-point of the conference schedule, received a well-deserved week off before hosting Maryland tonight at 7 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
"We had two days off, totally, from basketball, so that was good to get some rest in," guard Hilary Howard said. "We've had a chance to just get back to basics and work on a lot of our defensive principles this week."
After having two days of relaxation, Duke took to the court once again for some intense practice before the schedule started up again. Coach Gail Goestenkors took advantage of this week to fine tune her team's game.
"It's been kind of like preseason practice in that we've been working on a lot of fundamentals," Howard said. "We've basically concentrated on our defense. Coach wasn't happy with our defense in the Florida State game."
The Blue Devils, who recorded their first ever 8-0 mark in the month of January, have been led by the scoring and hot shooting of Michele VanGorp. She has scored 54 points in her last two games and has connected on 24-of-29 from the field.
Tonight, Duke looks to extend its winning streak to a school-record 13 games as it hosts the ACC's cellar dweller, Maryland (3-15, 1-8). The Blue Devils defeated the Terps earlier this season, 90-61, at Cole Field House.
While VanGorp has been allowed to shoot over the competition in past games, Maryland brings 6-foot-8 Branka Bugunovic into the contest. Bugunovic has posted solid minutes for the Terps and should prove a formidable defender for VanGorp.
And while this game appears to be a lock for the Blue Devils, they are not taking anything for granted.
"We know that every game is big," Howard said. "We've had trouble with Maryland in the past, so we're not taking them lightly. We're not even thinking about Virginia yet."
Duke looks to run its conference record to a perfect 10-0 tonight and continue to build momentum heading into Thursday night's tough road matchup against Virginia.
Notes: Duke is 5-0 on Mondays this year and 12-0 when scoring over 80 points.... The Blue Devils have won five straight home contests against Maryland.
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