In their previous three losses this season, there were often tears shed on the Blue Devils' sideline and in their locker room, particularly by a talented but still-maturing group of talented underclassmen.
But never by senior Georgia Schweitzer.
For four years at Duke, Schweitzer was not only one of the greatest ever to wear a Blue Devils' uniform, she was the epitome of the stoic confidence, the proud silence that the uniform stood for. She played through countless injuries, never sitting out a game and rarely even letting anyone know she was less than 100 percent.
Duke coach Gail Goestenkors frequently joked that Schweitzer could run the team herself, and when the Blue Devils needed calming reassurance on the floor, they always turned their gaze toward Schweitzer.
Poise and composure, more than her record-breaking statistics, were what defined the first 3,942 minutes of her Duke career. But it was one of the most heart-wrenching,
When Goestenkors removed her right before the conclusion of Duke's 81-71 loss to Southwest Missouri State Saturday night, Schweitzer let her emotions go.
"I love Georgia and she's had a great career," said Goestenkors, whose shoulders were soaked in her star's drops of sorrow during a memorable embrace that closed the book on the career of the woman who elevated her program to unprecedented heights. "She deserved to go to the Final Four, and I wanted to go there for her and the seniors."
Unfortunately for Schweitzer, her fairy-tale rise from first-year role player to superstar had no story-book ending.
In her final game for Duke, the point guard committed a season-high eight turnovers as her team's normally fluid transition offense never found a rhythm.
"I think the worst part of this is I don't feel like I went out the best that I could," Schweitzer said. "Everything was going wrong. That's the hardest part."
Although Schweitzer's career concluded with a performance that included as many turnovers and missed shots as points and assists, her place in Duke's history was securely anchored long ago.
There will be no return trip to the Final Four for Schweitzer, but she will spend next weekend in St. Louis, Mo. nonetheless for an annual all-star game.
Beyond that, her plans will be dictated by whether she chooses professional basketball or medical school. For now, however, her first order of business is to erase what was one of the very rare blemishes in an otherwise-pristine career.
"[Seeing her cry] was hard because you tend to remember your last game the most, especially when you don't play your best," said Goestenkors, who had to fight back her own tears while talking about her favorite player. "I don't want Georgia to worry or think about this night."
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