Yesterday, an undefeated No. 9 Penn State met the Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium in the Duke Women's Basketball Classic for a battle that many predicted would end in a slim, yet decisive Lady Lion victory.
Instead, the Blue Devils (4-1) shocked Penn State (3-1), 63-49, as Duke handed Penn State its first loss of the season in the tournament's championship game.
"This was a huge win for us, and it feels great," coach Gail Goestenkors said. "Penn State is an incredibly good team, and we were worried about this game. But we said beforehand that, win or lose, we would find out some things about our team. We found out some really good things about ourselves."
In a matchup that featured 10 lead changes before a Rochelle Parent jumpshot put Duke ahead for good in the 15th minute of play, Duke's defensive pressure stifled a usually consistent Lady Lion offense.
Case in point, Penn State All-Tournament guard selection Lisa Shepherd scored 33 points this weekend, of which a career-high 31 came against first-round opponent St. Joseph's. The remaining deuce resulted from two foul shots as the junior went 0-for-12 from the floor against the Blue Devils.
Duke held a slim, five-point halftime lead and both teams came out tentatively in the second half. The Lady Lions began pressing and forced several Duke turnovers, but the Blue Devil lead remained around six.
With 13:34 left in the game, Krista Gingrich collided with a Penn State player and fell to the floor, clutching her left leg. Gingrich became the only casualty of the intensely
After Gingrich's exit, freshman starter Michele Matyasovsky sparked a crucial run that extended Duke's lead from six to 17. Matyasovsky stepped inside the circle to drain a long field goal in the eighth minute of the second half. Twice in the next minute, Matyasovsky assisted Peppi Browne for layups over and through the Penn State defense. The lead reached its highest point five minutes later as freshman Sheana Mosch completed a running jumper to put Duke up 51-34.
Mosch was the second highest scorer with 14 points in 21 minutes. The Clearfield, Pa., native scored the crowd-pleasing last basket with 1.6 seconds remaining in the game on a baseline drive through the Penn State defense, showing what the Lady Lions lost out on when Mosch chose Duke over her hometown school.
"I told them no right away," Mosch said. "I didn't want to go to Penn State."
All game long, the Blue Devils controlled the clock in the upset, continually working the shot clock down to single digits to either convert or gain a new full 30 seconds.
Gingrich converted the first of these plays early in the first half, dribbling behind her back before throwing up a jumper with two seconds left on the shot clock. The ball bounced once on the rim before dropping in just as the shot clock expired, giving Duke a 14-13 lead.
Two and a half minutes later, Gingrich drained a three-pointer from the top of the circle to tie the game at 17 and then stole the ball to feed Parent's tie-breaker. Duke went into the lockerroom with a five-point cushion at 28-23.
In a defensive effort that Goestenkors likened to that against Tennessee in the East Regional Final last year, no single Duke player guarded Shepherd, the Nittany Lions' top threat. Instead, the Blue Devils' matchup defense focused on Shepherd's whereabouts while eliminating Penn State's scoring opportunities.
"Duke was on [Shepherd], but she had 12 shots and they didn't go in," Penn State head coach Rene Portland said. "She went from the highest of the highs to the lowest of the lows."
Tournament MVP Georgia Schweitzer led all scorers with 18 points, going 7-for-9 from the foul line.
The Blue Devils' other All-Tournament honor went to Browne. She finished with 10 points and two steals, but she committed five turnovers. Fellow senior Lauren Rice recorded a double-double with 10 points of her own and 11 defensive rebounds.
Duke decimated Florida A&M Saturday afternoon 93-38 to advance to the final, riding momentum from a win over Vanderbilt Wednesday.
In the first game of Duke's three-game stretch over Thanksgiving break, Browne's team-high 19 points and stingy defense against Vanderbilt's heralded 6-foot-6 freshman Chantelle Anderson lifted Duke past the Commodores, 68-59.
The strong weekend should boost Duke back into the national rankings and gives the Blue Devils reason for optimism.
"We have a better start this year than last year," Rice said. "And we're in a better situation than we were last year."
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