Life is pretty good for the women's basketball team right now.
Heading into tonight's matchup against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (13-6, 6-3 in the ACC) in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Blue Devils (17-3, 9-0) have run off eight straight victories, a streak that began with a comeback 76-60 victory in Atlanta Dec. 30.
"I think we all pulled together," forward Michele Matyasovsky said of the victory. "It was a tough game. It's always tough to play at Georgia Tech, and we were coming off the loss to [No. 2] Tennessee. We really pulled together at the end."
Despite the comeback, the Blue Devils do not fondly look back upon the victory. Duke turned the ball over a whopping 29 times in what the team described as its worst performance of the season.
"We need to take care of the ball and look better than we did the last time out," point guard Vicki Krapohl said. "A lot of times, they weren't even forced turnovers. We were dribbling the ball off our knees or not catching the ball. We need to come in a lot more focused than we did the last game."
In the win in Atlanta, the Blue Devils' leading scorer and national player of the year candidate Alana Beard
"It's up to me to be ready," Beard said. "I have to say that for the Georgia Tech game, I wasn't ready to play. Believe me, I beat myself up for it. Every game I just try to be consistent."
Both Duke and Beard appear to have taken a great deal from the struggles against Tech. Since that game, the Blue Devils have been all but unstoppable.
After breaking the 100-point mark only once last season, Duke has pulled away from the rest of the conference and scored over 100 in its last two victories. Meanwhile, Beard has averaged 23.1 points per game and cemented her status as one of the country's best players.
The improvement in rebounding will prove critical against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets average 10.4 more rebounds per game than their opponents and have two players, center Sonya Mallory and forward Regina Tate, who grab almost eight rebounds per game.
"The key to everything is just rebounding," Matyasovsky said. "I think they are leading the conference in offensive rebounding. They have got some really good players."
The Blue Devils have learned from the last matchup, but the team does not plan to change its offense out of fear over another turnover-laden performance.
"We're not going to play conservative at all," Krapohl said. "I know if I start walking the ball up court or slowing it up, I'll be sitting on the bench. [The first game] is not a concern. We're still going to push the attack."
Duke hopes to take control of the glass on both ends and use Georgia Tech's style to its advantage. The Yellow Jackets' guards tend to attack rebounds, leaving them susceptible to the fast break.
"We are a running team, and we look to run no matter who we are playing, especially when teams go to the glass like they do," Krapohl said. "We're looking to get into transition, and we're looking for offensive rebounds. We should be able to get them."
With the victory the Blue Devils would have a four-game lead in the conference standings, making them the odds-on favorite for the ACC regular-season crown. With that on the line, Duke plans to attack early.
"We need to start off strong," Matyasovsky said. "We need to own the glass right from the start-that's going to be the key. If we rebound early, everything will come from that."
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