CHAPEL HILL - Forgive the cliche, but that was a close one.
That, of course, refers to last night's battle in Chapel Hill's Carmichael Auditorium between the women's basketball team and North Carolina's Tar Heels. But it could just as easily refer to one of the four other games this season that Duke has won by seven points or less.
As coach Gail Goestenkors said after the final buzzer sounded, this one may have been the most exciting. It may have been more thrilling because it required an extra five minutes of back-and-forth momentum. Or it may feel more intense because of the seemingly magical contrast between the antique sky blue of Carmichael and the royal of Duke's uniforms' accents.
"It doesn't matter what the records are," sophomore guard Sheana Mosch said. "UNC and Duke is huge. This is the game we all wait for. We were ready to play."
Rivalry aside, last night's victory represents the Blue Devils' fifth close win this season. Duke's record is now 19-1, but its record in close games (those decided by seven or fewer points) is 5-0.
Had those games gone the other way, Duke would be 14-6. By contrast, North Carolina has lost four close contests and won three. Change the outcomes of those, and the unranked Tar Heels would be 12-6 instead of 10-8. Further, and in a more powerful example, Carolina would have a 6-2 record in the ACC, while the Blue Devils would be 3-5.
"I think UNC is a lot better team than its record indicates," Goestenkors said.
In any case, the close games-for Duke and for North Carolina-did not
There was little mention of freshman Alana Beard in the press room after the game last night. With a three-point, come-from-behind win at Virginia and the gutsy victory at Carolina under their belts, the Blue Devils seem to have answered the question of whether they can win without Beard.
The real question is, perhaps, can they lose without her? When she returns, will they be invincible, at least in the conference?
Beard has played in two-and-a-half of Duke's five narrow-margin victories, as she was injured during the first half of the Blue Devils' 62-59 win Jan. 18 over N.C. State. She played the entire 20 minutes of that first half, scoring seven points. Five of her teammates outscored her.
Against Georgia Tech Jan. 11, Beard led Duke's effort with 29 points and impressed Tech's former freshman sensation Neisha Butler, the 1999 ACC rookie of the year. Beard was also the Blue Devils' leading scorer at Penn State in November, when Duke pulled out an 88-87 thriller over the then-No.10 Nittany Lions.
In the Blue Devils' Beard-less games, Mosch has picked up the scoring slack, notching 25 and 29 points against Virginia and Carolina, respectively. And in addition to the usual suspect Georgia Schweitzer, Beard's freshman teammates Rometra Craig and Iciss Tillis have made solid contributions.
"I don't feel like I've had to make up for Alana's scoring," Mosch said. "The coaches have just stressed penetration and creating my own shot a lot more this week. I've become a lot more aggressive."
In short, in Duke's close wins, it has been more a team effort than anything. Behind Beard's 21 at Penn State were four other Blue Devils in double-digits.
That's not to mention the acrobatic assists or charges taken that go into winning the close ones.
"I always say the team that wins the close games in the ACC is the team that wins the championship," Goestenkors said. "We've had three out of four games now that have been very close at the end."
Goestenkors went on to muse that if her team's opponents had pulled out these games, Duke would be in a very different place right now. The fact is, the ones who pulled out these games are the Blue Devils, and there is no real-life rewind button that threatens to change Duke's 19-1 record to a 14-6 one.
The overall record is indeed impressive, but it is perhaps the undefeated record in the close games that bodes most favorably for Duke as March and tournament time approach. And by the way, Beard-who is not only Duke's leading scorer but also one of its vocal and exemplary team leaders-will be back in early February.
In the meantime, Duke has mustered other ways to win the tight contests.
"We showed a lot of heart tonight," Mosch said after last night's showdown in Carmichael.
Mosch is right, but she forgot to mention that they showed also showed a lot of heart Monday, last Thursday and a couple of other times this season.
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