WINSTON-SALEM - When the ACC's best defensive team runs into its worst offensive team, the results become about as predictable as a Harlem Globetrotters game.
And Wake Forest did not disappoint, giving an offensive performance that would have put the Washington Generals to shame. The punchless Demon Deacons (6-17, 2-10 in the ACC), scoring an ACC-low 57.5 points per game, shot a ghastly 17-of-60 from the floor and failed to string together any semblance of offense to challenge the No. 14 Blue Devils.
Although Wake hung with the listless Blue Devils (20-4, 9-3) for a half, a more energized Duke squad reeled off a 19-6 run to begin the second half en route to the 69-38 win, its 20th of the season, last night in Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
"I'm glad basketball is two halves," coach Gail Goestenkors said. "In the second half, I thought we really stepped it up, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Offensively, we looked to attack the basket much more.
"We just talked about playing with passion and playing with heart. [The adjustments] weren't anything technical; it was just we needed to play with more passion, more intensity."
Leading by only seven after the first 20 minutes, the Blue Devils began forcefully attacking Wake's interior in the second half. Guard Krista Gingrich found a cutting Michele Matyasovsky for a layin just over two minutes into the half, beginning a streak of 12 straight Duke points
After Missy West's driving layup a minute later, forward Rochelle Parent decided to take over the game for the next three minutes. Parent put back a Gingrich miss to give Duke its first double-digit lead at 35-24.
Two possessions later, Parent took a lob pass from Gingrich for an easy layup. On Wake's ensuing possession, Parent tied up Wake's Kristen Shaffer, forcing the Deacons' 15th turnover of the game. Gingrich then capped off Duke's run inside by finding Lauren Rice for a basket and a foul.
"They played pressure man [defense] and they were getting up in the passing lanes," Parent said. "I took advantage of my ability to get up in the air and utilize the back door, and then it's just making the layup."
The Blue Devils' layup drill turned the rest of the game into garbage time and even allowed rarely used forward LaNedra Brown to shine in a brief outing. In the last three minutes, Brown scored on a tough putback of an offensive rebound and made an up-and-under move in the lane, drawing a foul along with the basket both times. Unfortunately for Brown, she failed to convert either three-point play.
Coming on the heels of its worst offensive half since the disastrous outing in Charlottesville two weeks ago, Duke's efficient offensive showing in the second half could not have come at a better time. Duke shot only 26 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes despite getting
"In the first half, I felt like we looked very tired," Goestenkors said. "Obviously, we couldn't hit our shots-I thought we looked just a little flat-footed. We were standing around in the first half, settling for outside shots. We need to have a good inside-outside attack."
Despite Duke's sputtering offense, the Blue Devils stayed in the game courtesy of an even more inept offensive showing from Wake Forest. After a respectable start, the Demon Deacons could only manage six points for the last nine minutes of the first half.
With the Deacons' perimeter offense stymied by Duke's taller guards, Wake coach Charlene Curtis looked to 6-foot-5 freshman Johanna Björklund to take advantage of Duke's smaller post players. But Björklund responded by traveling twice, committing a three-second violation and missing several point-blank shots, all in the first half.
Note: Senior forward Peppi Browne, out since tearing her ACL Jan. 27 against North Carolina, is likely gone for the season. After a brief attempt to play with a brace, Browne suffered a setback two weeks ago. Upon consulting with a specialist in Indianapolis, Browne will have season-ending surgery on her knee in three weeks.
"She's out for the rest of the year," Goestenkors said. "She's scheduled for surgery in three weeks. They can't do it if her knee is swollen and even if they do it, it's not possible for her to come back. So she's done."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.