GREENSBORO - While the rest of women's basketball may have been shellshocked by Duke's stirring upset of Tennessee last night, no one in the Duke locker room expressed even a bit of surprise.
Instead, they just flashed their knowing smiles of confidence and signaled to everyone else what they knew all along-Duke came to Greensboro to move closer to the national championship, even if that meant an earlier matchup with mighty Tennessee.
Having set their sights not on beating Tennessee or making the Final Four, the Blue Devils came into the contest with their ultimate aim set on the program's first-ever national title. Adopting that mentality and exuding a confidence more befitting a three-time defending champion than a team that had never gotten past the round of eight, the Blue Devils won half the battle before the opening tip.
And Duke's quiet self-confidence and refusal to buckle in front of the Tennessee mystique was made apparent on the Vols' opening possession, when Tamika Catching's jumper was blocked by Peppi Browne.
"[The block] was excellent," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. "We wanted to go right at them, and let them know we were here to play, we weren't going to back down to anybody."
It was exactly that inner confidence and composure that helped the Blue Devils withstand Tennessee's frantic second-half rally. It was exactly that grit and poise that held the Blue Devils together when the Volunteers threatened to tie or
"I'm just so proud of this team, because they really came together and did everything we asked of them," Goestenkors said. "You really can't ask for any more as a coach. We were very aggressive and very confident."
After Duke took an 11 point lead into halftime following a textbook first half, the Lady Vols made their anticipated run at the outset of the second half. With 13:47 left in the game, Tamika Catchings drove the lane for a layup that cut Duke's lead to 41-38, and the game remained virtually a one or two possession game for the next nine minutes.
Every time Tennessee had the opportunity to either tie or take the lead, however, the Blue Devils responded with fire. Whether it was Browne driving the lane and drawing the foul, or Nicole Erickson calmly draining mid-range jumpers, or pounding the defensive rebounds to deny Tennessee second chances, the Blue Devils clung to their lead and held on for dear life.
The Duke players never once looked rattled or frustrated, but rather seem to feed off the pressure. On the many occasions when it appeared momentum was shifting toward Tennessee, the Blue Devils regained their composure and made the stops and delivered the plays that mattered.
"It seemed like we never could get over the hump," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "They played loose, they played with great intensity and confidence.... They were just a great team in terms of offensive discipline and execution."
Duke's offensive execution was apparent when it finally pulled away from Tennessee late. Erickson banked in an eight-foot jumper to make it 55-50. After freshman Michelle Snow traveled in the open court, Georgia Schweitzer made perhaps the play that put Tennessee away.
After working the ball around the perimeter for most of the shot clock on Duke's next offensive possession, Hilary Howard got open behind the three-point line but missed the shot. Schweitzer, though, soared in for the rebound and dished the ball back outside.
After getting the ball back, Schweitzer took advantage of a screen and slashed into the lane and converted the layup that epitomized Duke's overall effort and execution, and more importantly, put her team up by seven with 1:43 left.
And when the buzzer finally sounded on Duke's monumental victory, many observers quickly labeled the win as the greatest upset in the history of women's basketball. Goestenkors, however, dismissed any such notions.
"I don't know that we really consider it a huge upset," Goestenkors said. "We honestly believed if we stuck to the game plan and we played as well as we could, we were going to win. I guess when you expect to win, you don't feel like an upset when you do [win]. I truly don't believe any of our players thought it was an upset, which was probably the mentality we had to have to win the game."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.