It was 16-0, Duke hadn't missed a shot, and Hillary Howard, returning to Duke as a member of Team Concept, cracked a smile as she looked up at the rafters of Cameron. The Blue Devils came out of the gates firing, hitting their first 12 shots from the floor and forcing Team Concept players into difficult attempts on their way to a 89-38 victory Wednesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
"I mean, its November, you are not supposed to be that good this early," Howard said, reflecting on the play of her No. 1 ranked alma mater.
Alana Beard dominated the game early, helping Duke push the ball up the court before the Team Concept players could set their defense. The Blue Devils also forced a number of turnovers leading to fast break lay-ups as Team Concept struggled to get into their half court offense.
Beard, the consensus pre-season national player of the year, finished the game with 26 points going an impressive 11 for 13 for the field. She also compiled four steals and four rebounds in 19 minutes. Iciss Tillis added 13 points and nine boards.
But when Beard exited the game midway through the first half, the Blue Devils struggled offensively. The pace of the offense slowed, and Duke was not able to get good looks at the basket.
While Duke played a crisp first half with its lead never in question, the Blue Devils focus dropped as the game progressed. Duke scored 55 points in the first period, but, as Duke's starters sat on the bench, sloppy play yielded only 34 points during the second half.
"We lost our focus and we can't afford to do that," said head coach Gail Goestenkors.
In the second half, Duke's talented freshmen core saw considerable playing time, which was highlighted by solid effort by Mistie Bass. Bass had 16 points, and five rebounds.
"I am really proud of the freshmen," said Goestenkors. "They continue to get better and better. I think they are all going to help us this season. I thought Misty and Brook in particular down low did a really nice job for us so that's good to see."
The Duke coaching staff used the blowout as an opportunity to work on a few different defensive looks that the Blue Devils hope to employ during the season.
"We worked on our zone a little bit," said Goestenkors. "We didn't do a great job with our zone or with our trap."
Freshman Caitlin Howe missed the game after her knee slipped out during last exhibition game. Through rehab, Howe has been trying to reduce the swelling and strengthen her quadracept muscle to prevent the injury from occurring in the future. Goestenkors is confident that Howe will be ready for the season opener in nine days.
After blowing out opponents in two exhibition games, the Duke players are looking forward to the opportunity to put their No. 1 ranking on the line when they begin their regular season schedule next Friday against East Carolina.
"I think all the players are ready to have some real games as well," said Goestenkors.
In the end, Howard, who was presented with a Final Four chair by Goestenkors before the game, said, "It was certainty not the homecoming you think of. I was just really impressed with Duke. I was sorry I was on the other end of it but in some way it was nice to see how good they are up close."
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