Blue Devils win by 20 at George Mason

FAIRFAX, Va. - The women's basketball team (9-0) traveled to Fairfax, Va., yesterday afternoon, to take on George Mason (5-1) in the opening game of a four-game road swing. After struggling in the early going, Duke came on strong in the second half to claim an 88-68 win. Freshmen Alana Beard and Iciss Tillis led the way early, scoring the team's first 11 points. However, the story of the early stages of the game was the George Mason Patriots. After Tillis and senior Rochelle Parent scored the game's first two baskets, the Patriots went on a 7-0 run to lead 7-4 at the 17:08 mark. Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said that the Patriots' first-half edge stemmed largely from their hustle. "They did all the little things," Goestenkors said. "They played with heart and passion in the first half, which were things that were lacking in our game." The two teams were virtually even for the game's first 20 minutes, and the halftime score stood at 39-38, in favor of George Mason, a situation Duke has hardly been accustomed to. The Patriots were led in the opening stretch of the game by senior guard Jen Surlas, who torched the Blue Devils for 21 first-half points, on her way to a game-high 27. Patriots coach Debbie Taneyhill was very pleased with her team's early play. "We knew they were a good team," Taneyhill said. "And we came out in the first half ready to go." But the third-ranked Blue Devils emerged in the second half and proved why they are counted among the nation's elite. Parent tallied four straight points to open the half, as the Blue Devils went on a 16-2 run in the first 4:38 of play. Senior Georgia Schweitzer capped the run off with a layup, giving Duke a 13-point lead at 54-41. Schweitzer said that the improved play stemmed from the team's halftime discussion. "Our intensity just wasn't there in the first half," she said. "We decided at halftime that we were going to play a lot harder." Coach Goestenkors added that defense was a major key to the second-half improvement, which saw the Patriots score significantly less. "We were proud to come out and play with greater intensity and focus, especially on the defensive end of the court," Goestenkors said. "Our defense ignites our offense, and we're much more confident and exciting when we can force the turnovers and run." "We came out and played really good defense, and it led to some easy baskets," she said. "Defense is the main key to our offense." The play of Duke's freshmen was again stellar, as Beard led the team with 20 points and Iciss Tillis chipped in with 12. Schweitzer was also impressed with the defense of Duke's freshmen. "They're very aggressive," she said. "We've never had this many steals in the past." The senior Schweitzer also played an impressive game, tallying 17 points in her 30 minutes of play, including 11 in the second half, when the team perhaps needed them most. Taneyhill was very complimentary of Duke's play. "If you're going to have to learn these sorts of lessons, you'd rather it happen in a game like this," she said. "Duke is a good team to get beat by. I think they're a Final Four team." Yesterday's win runs the Blue Devils' record to 9-0, their best start since the 1987-88 team opened the season 12-0. Duke will see its next action Saturday at 2 p.m. at Clemson in its ACC opener.