Sweet 16! Sweet 16!
So went the chants that filled Cameron Indoor Stadium during the final seconds of Duke's 76-66 victory over Texas Christian (24-7) in the NCAA Tournament's second round.
Despite a slow start in which the Blue Devils trailed TCU for most of the contest's opening eight minutes, No. 1 seed Duke (29-3) eventually shook off the pesky Horned Frogs, and advanced to the East Regional semifinals.
"I'm very proud of my team," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. "I thought we were a little anxious to start with, [but] I thought we settled down.... We were so excited. We wanted to be ahead 20 to start the game, and when you want that you're not going to get it."
Instead of the dynamic offensive exhibition Duke so ardently wanted, the contest began as a hard-fought defensive battle. Duke struggled to solve TCU's aggressive match-up zone, and the Blue Devils opening excitement manifested itself in offensive impatience.
"During the first four minutes I thought [the tempo] was definitely fast," senior co-captain Krista Gingrich said. "I don't know if we pushed the ball, but we were rushing things in the half-court."
Trailing 15-10 midway throughout the first half, Duke jolted the Horned Frogs with two definitive runs. A 9-0 spurt put the Blue Devils ahead 19-15, and just minutes later, an 8-0 stretch pushed Duke's lead to nine.
"I thought we lost discipline defensively," TCU coach Jeff Mittie said. "I saw us running at penetrators and not guarding shooters."
Monique Currie was Duke's principal offensive catalyst during the low-scoring first half. The freshman's 14 points led all scorers in the opening period, as her tenacious drives continually pierced the Horned Frogs defensive pressure.
"In the first half I thought Monique did just a tremendous job taking the ball to the basket," Goestenkors said.
Duke's offensive star following the break was its All-American Alana Beard. After a rough first half in which she shot just 3-of-12 from the floor, Beard exploded for 20 second half points.
"I think Alana had open looks in the first half, but they weren't as easy as the shots she got in the second half," Gingrich said. "In the second half we gave her the looks she's used to making.... Our offense really runs through Alana. Good things usually happen when we get her the ball."
Behind Beard's terrific scoring performance, Duke stretched its lead to 16 with just 7:40 remaining. The Blue Devils, however, were never able to put the contest firmly out of reach, primarily because of the Horned Frogs' sizzling three-point shooting.
Kati Safaritova tallied 15 of her 24 points from behind the arc, and many of her teammates followed suit; the Horned Frogs collectively shot a torrid 11-for-24 from long distance.
Despite its brilliant shooting, TCU never mounted a serious threat to Duke's lead in the closing minutes. The Horned Frogs repeatedly pulled to within eight, but Duke always had an answer for every TCU basket.
Their comfortable lead notwithstanding, the Blue Devils kept a focused mindset.
"When you looked at the scoreboard and you are only up 10, that's still a game," Beard said. "You have to play smart defensively and offensively."
Overall, Goestenkors applauded her team's toughness and grit against the tenacious Horned Frogs squad. In addition, Duke's coach hoped that as the NCAA Tournament progresses, the Blue Devils would peak at the right time.
"I'm comparing it to the ACC Tournament, where as we played we continued to get better and better," Goestenkors said. "That's what I'm hoping will happen with us [in the NCAA's] as well."
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