SAN JOSE, Calif. - Since the women's basketball team entered the season's final stretch, it has lived and died by its execution, its poise and its ability to play its style.
Against Tennessee and Georgia, it lived.
Last night against Purdue, it died.
The Blue Devils made their magical run through the NCAA tournament mainly on their knack for out-executing their opponents. Against a Tennessee team superior in athleticism and talent, Duke won because of its flawless ball-handling and the stifling execution of the triangle-and-two defense. In Friday's semifinal, it turned a close game against a Georgia into a rout with another textbook offensive effort, epitomized by crisp passing and movement without the ball.
Against a tenacious and fundamentally flawless Purdue squad, the Blue Devils' trademark execution deserted them at the most inopportune time.
"We just played crappy basketball," said Duke center Michele VanGorp. "We didn't finish or execute on offense-that's all there is to it."
For much of the game, VanGorp was the Blue Devils' only consistent source of offense. Even the All-American, however, struggled in an ugly first half that saw a combined 17-of-51 shooting and 17 turnovers from both teams. VanGorp only managed to squeeze off two shots against a collapsing Purdue defense.
While other teams have used the same strategy against Duke's dominant center, her teammates always found ways to get her the ball. Last night, the Blue Devils just couldn't find VanGorp.
"I don't think I got myself into a position where I was either visible to my teammates or accessible," VanGorp said. "I don't think it was anything in particular they were doing. I think it was more I needed to make myself more accessible to my teammates."
Compounding Duke's offensive woes was its inability to limit turnovers and move the ball upcourt effectively against a trapping Boilermaker defense. And Purdue set the tone for its defense early, causing Duke to turn the ball over five times in its first seven possessions.
Georgia Schweitzer, who pushed herself into the national spotlight with her dazzling play against Chamique Holdsclaw of Tennessee, struggle mightily in the game. She was whistled for traveling violations the first two times she touched the ball and her first shot of the night was blocked. And things didn't get any better for Schweitzer as the game progressed; the sophomore guard wound up scoreless and committed six turnovers.
"Georgia in particular, who had been so tough for us, really struggled tonight," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. "And that, I think, caused some of the other players to lose their confidence when they see one of our leading scorers struggling."
But Schweitzer was not alone in her struggles. Her backcourt mates Nicole Erickson and Hilary Howard, who had been instrumental in beating the Tennessee and Georgia presses, looked tense, timid and became entirely ineffective. The two senior guards combined for 6-of-16 shooting and never managed to establish an offensive rhythm for their team.
The surprising aspect of the team's struggles was that the Blue Devils succumbed to nerves after a season's worth of visualization and psychological work aimed at eliminating the butterflies when the team actually got into position for a national championship. While the team had shown no sign of nerves against Tennessee and Georgia, its first five minutes of play was nothing resembling the loose, poised starts previously seen.
"We were a little tight in the beginning. I don't know what I attribute that to-nerves, just being anxious to play," Howard said. "Unfortunately, we stopped doing the things that got us here, we didn't execute."
As almost every player and Goestenkors pointed out, the Blue Devils had more than their share of opportunities to seize the championship, but fell victim in the end to the one thing they had prided themselves on all season.
"Things that usually work didn't work tonight," Schweitzer said. "You're going to have those nights. It's just unfortunate it had to happen tonight. It's been a great year and I love these guys. It's really sad it had to end this way."
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