Upset State of Mind

The post-Peppi Browne identity crisis may finally be over.

Last night in Cameron Indoor Stadium, No. 14 Duke survived a late run to upset seventh-ranked N.C. State, 70-64. For the Blue Devils (21-4, 10-3 in the ACC), the win marked their first victory over a quality opponent since Browne tore her ACL three weeks ago.

"This was a huge win for us," coach Gail Goestenkors said. "I felt like this was a game we needed to win to feel really good about ourselves. The last two wins were good for us, but we needed to beat a ranked team, someone that we considered a great team."

The Blue Devils had plenty to feel good about after surviving a late Wolfpack rally. Duke, propelled largely by a 27-2 first half run, led by as many as 18 in the second half but watched State (20-5, 11-3) furiously charge back.

Amy Simpson's three-pointer from the left corner capped a 20-3 Wolfpack run and cut Duke's lead to 55-54 with just over four minutes left, but the Blue Devils called timeout and regrouped.

Over the final 4:11, Duke shot a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, led by Lauren Rice, who made her last six from the charity stripe.

Up 66-58 with 1:10 left and the shot clock winding down, Rice made a tough pass to Krista Gingrich, who drained a three-pointer to put the game out of reach.

"When Gingrich hit that three, that was what nailed us," Wolfpack coach Kay Yow said. "I felt that that three was The Shot."

Although Duke's shooting never quite picked up, its intensity did and the Blue Devils responded to N.C. State's initial outburst with a 27-2 run.

"I don't think we ever panicked, because the same thing happened over there," said Goestenkors of January's 80-75 overtime loss in Raleigh. "We knew that we would be okay if we could just settle down. We were ready to play, but we were too anxious, and we just needed to settle down."

The Blue Devils switched to a zone defense, which proved to be just what the doctor ordered. During Duke's nearly 10-minute run, N.C. State repeatedly missed outside shots and committed seven turnovers while trying unsuccessfully to get the ball down low.

"I thought the zone caused them some problems," Goestenkors said. "We were able to get some easy looks. We just needed to get a couple of easy looks and then we started doing much better."

The Blue Devils took an 11-point lead into the locker room, which swelled to 18 midway through the half. With her team down 52-34, Yow made a mass substitution, taking out four starters in favor of her bench. The move triggered a valiant comeback, as the Wolfpack held Duke to a single field goal during a six-minute stretch.

"I think they're the deepest team in the conference," Goestenkors said. "Some of their substitutes really did the job for them. We got the big lead, and we stopped attacking, and we stopped being aggressive. That's when they made their run, and you could just feel the momentum shift."

During the Wolfpack's 20-3 spurt, Talisha Scates and Christen Greene scored five points each, while seldom-used Amelia Labador-who had seen action in just one ACC game before last night-added four points.

But the Blue Devils finally awoke from their trance to take the game. The Duke win keeps the Blue Devils in the hunt for the ACC crown along with both the Wolfpack and Virginia. But Duke was not worried about other ACC teams-its lone concern was Duke.

"I still feel like we have to win the rest of our games," Goestenkors said. "It's a battle out there. Every game is going to be tough.

"But we needed this win more than anything for our confidence-to know that we can beat a great team."