Sixth-ranked Duke crushed ACC foe Virginia 86-69 Sunday, extending its unbeaten conference streak to seven. The Blue Devils (15-3, 7-0 in the ACC) opened the game with a 9-0 run and coasted to a 17-point victory against the overmatched Cavaliers.
Despite having already blown out Virginia (10-8, 3-4) by 34 points in December, Duke coach Gail Goestenkors emphasized that her squad did not take the Cavaliers lightly entering Sunday's contest, and applauded her team's determined preparation.
"We prepare for every game every day in practice," Goestenkors said. "Our practice [Saturday] was by far better than we played today. We were maybe the best team in country yesterday in practice, so it's not just one game, it's every single day in practice that we play with tremendous intensity, focus, and aggression."
As the lopsided score would indicate, Duke dominated nearly every facet of the game, especially on the glass, where they outrebounded the Cavaliers 48-32. Though pleased with her squad's overall rebounding margin, Goestenkors noted that the Blue Devils' performance was far from perfect.
"I was not happy at all with our rebounding effort [in the first half], especially defensively," Goestenkors said. "In the second half, I thought we did an excellent job on the boards. We really just dominated the boards."
After posting a 40-26 halftime lead, Duke then began the second half as it did the first, and Virginia never mounted a serious threat of any kind.
"Every time they started to make a little run, I thought we came back and hit a basket," Goestenkors said. "I think it was probably a little discouraging to them, because they could never make three or four baskets in a row without us making shots."
The Blue Devils cited their offensive execution as one of the primary reasons for their ability to jump out and then maintain a comfortable lead.
"When we are at our best we're really moving the ball a lot, and we were doing that really well in the first half," sophomore Vicki Krapohl said. "That's what our spread offense is all about, which is really hard to guard when you have people flashing and then people spotting up."
Although she only averages 4.5 points per game, Krapohl nearly tripled her season average against Virginia, scoring 12 points, all from shots behind the three-point arc.
"We were so concerned with their transition that a couple of times we dropped a little too far into the lane, and didn't cover Vicki, and that was a killer," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said.
Krapohl acknowledged that her performance probably surprised the Cavaliers, who undoubtedly focused on Alana Beard and Iciss Tillis, Duke's primary scorers throughout the season.
"It probably was hard for them," Krapohl said. "I know they don't think of me as a scorer. I don't score a lot of points in games."
Perhaps the Cavaliers' lone bright spot was the brilliant performance of freshman Brandi Teamer, whose 20 points and 10 rebounds were both game highs. Teamer, however, found that reflecting upon personal accomplishment in the wake of a loss is bittersweet.
"I'm trying to do whatever it takes to win," Teamer said. "I may get a double-double, but when we lose it's irrelevant."
Afterwards Ryan compared Teamer to Duke's own sensational freshman, Monique Currie, who played a terrific game in her own right, tallying 18 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.
"Brandi, in terms of what she means to our team, is evident when she takes the court--she's had double-doubles almost every night," Ryan said. "Monique's also a great player who is very important to her team, [but] if you take Monique off of Duke's team, or you take Brandi off of our team, I think you see [which player is more important] in terms of wins and losses."
With Sunday's win, Duke stretched their unblemished ACC record to 7-0, and now owns a two-game conference lead. Duke has simply dominated ACC competition, despite having only eight players in uniform, by far the fewest number of any team in the conference.
The Blue Devils' inspired play has impressed their coach immensely. Goestenkors attributes their success to her players' willingness to accept more individual responsibility.
"I couldn't ask for anything more from them, and I think it's probably really helped us [having only eight players] because everyone knows how important they are," Goestenkors said. "Everyone knows they're going to play, and everyone knows we need them to play well."
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