Statistics don't always tell the entire story in sports.
Sunday in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the women's basketball team shot less than 40 percent in both halves, while it allowed Clemson (11-6, 2-3 in the ACC) to shoot a gaudy 50 percent in the opening frame. But the Blue Devils (16-1, 5-0) held on to a three-point halftime lead and cruised to a comfortable 60-51 win.
Despite holding Clemson to its lowest point total of the season and continuing an undefeated start to the ACC season, Duke coach Gail Goestenkors was less than pleased with the Blue Devils' performance.
"We're not happy at all with our defense," she said. "I think 45 percent is the highest anyone shot against us all year. This was not a great effort overall defensively."
The Blue Devils were able to soundly beat the Lady Tigers due to a flurry to open the second half.
Two minutes into the period, Clemson had narrowed the score to 31-29. But then the Blue Devils took over. Over the next 10 minutes Clemson did not make a single field goal, which allowed Duke to run the score to 51-32.
"We came out in the second half very determined," said Goestenkors. "I thought we did a much better
The run was catapulted by the play of Rochelle Parent, who came off the bench for the Blue Devils. Parent provided five points, two rebounds and a steal during Duke's offensive explosion. Additionally, she was able to prevent the Lady Tigers from getting decent looks inside.
Parent's performance was especially important given that the Blue Devils did not get the usual level of productivity from the rest of their starters. Leading scorer Georgia Schweitzer shot only 3-for-11 from the field, while Peppi Browne fouled out with 12:21 remaining in the second half.
Parent was not the only Blue Devil reserve to play a significant role in the game. Eight players saw more than 10 minutes of action and two more played more than five minutes.
In total, the bench accounted for one-third of Duke's scoring and rebounding.
"I think we learned more about ourselves as a team today," said Goestenkors. "We can win without Peppi Browne on the floor at all times. Hopefully, we won't have to do that too many more times though.
"We can also win when Georgia Schweitzer is not having her best game offensively. That was important for us because we have relied on those two so much to do so many things."
Clemson did not let down after Duke stretched its lead to 19 points. With just under eight minutes remaining in the game, Krystal Scott knocked down a three-pointer and the Lady Tigers began to mount a comeback.
Clemson narrowed the lead to seven when a Chrissy Floyd jumper left the score 55-48 with 4:10 remaining. But the Blue Devils, despite committing six turnovers in the final seven-and-a-half minutes, were able to hang on for the 60-51 victory.
Goestenkors said that the Blue Devils' inability to put the game out of reach once they took a 19-point lead was not a cause for concern.
"I feel like Clemson is a great team," she said. "Great teams are going to be tough to put away. They're on a roll right now and they're playing with a lot of confidence."
While Goestenkors said that the comeback is not a cause for concern, she did admit it made her a little nervous.
"I'm breathing a sigh of relief right now," she said. "It was a rough game for us, so I'm very happy to come away with a win. I think it was a very important game for us."
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