Despite a 19-point, five-rebound, four-assist performance, Alana Beard's most memorable moment came before the opening whistle blew in the team's first action of 2002 against Premier Players. After her name was announced, Beard rushed through a tunnel of her teammates, ran over to Sheana Mosch, and gave her an overly aggressive chest bump. A stunned Mosch tumbled backwards and fell into a hapless Duke cheerleader. Mosch remained on the floor for a moment laughing while the cheerleader limped towards the sideline. Mosch soon picked herself up and joined the No. 1 Blue Devils before a 100-51 shellacking of Premier Players.
Everyone--with the notable exception of sophomore Monique Currie, last year's ACC tournament MVP, who left with a knee injury--contributed for the deepest Duke team in recent memory.
Though the Blue Devils were a little shaken up by Currie's injury, they regrouped in a dominating way. The Blue Devil defense was overwhelming, as Duke was all over the court, diving on the floor, scrapping for steals and causing a frustrated Premier Players team to turn the ball over 24 times. Duke's offensive potency was also downright scary against a team that Goestenkors called "very strong."
In fact, Premier Players is comprised of five WNBA players. But Duke made them look like pre-Title IX All-Stars. Beard and Goestenkors, however, said Duke's performance was just decent.
"I'm very happy with the team, I think we did pretty good," Beard said. "I'm just excited about the team, we did pretty good today."
The Blue Devils do have some conspicuous kinks in their armor, however. Duke was a little sloppy in spurts, turning the ball over a whopping 22 times while rushing the offense. Some mistakes came as Duke's players ran the offense a bit too methodically, passing the ball to a location rather than to a player's hands. The Blue Devils soon adjusted, however, and the results were impressive.
"I thought we did a much better job in the second half," Goestenkors said. "As the game progressed, we got better and better."
Iciss Tillis played spectacular basketball, showing off her panoply of skills. She accumulated four assists, four rebounds, two steals, and 18 points on the day. She ran the court with abandon, helped Duke's No. 1 ranked freshman class become acclimated to the confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium and scored an impressive and-one with just 5 seconds left in the game that brought the friends and family crowd on their feet.
The freshmen were inserted intermittently in the first half, but were showcased in the second. Lindsey Harding's defense, speed, and ball-handling were better than advertised, and Jessica Foley's three-point stroke was as smooth as former Duke All-American Georgia Schweitzer's. Caitlin Howe, who has already undergone two surgeries on her knees, had a scare in the first half when her knee shifted. She left the game momentarily, but returned to score five points.
Duke's interior freshmen, Brooke Smith and Mistie Bass, struggled at first against the redwoods of Premier Players. Going up against a 6-foot-7 center and a handful of 6-foot-3 opponents, the freshman duo was tentative in the post into the second half. Neither was facing up to the basket, instead opting for hook shots or multiple pump fakes before shooting. Their timidity was soon replaced with temerity, however, as the two put in a combined 15 points in the game.
"They were pretty nervous, but you can't blame them," Mosch said. "We can't blame them for coming and playing their first college game on Cameron floor being ranked the No. 1 team in the country. They're going to have some jitters. We're really proud of the freshmen and how they played tonight. I thought it was really good for them to help them learn some confidence and to know that they can go out there and play well."
"[Bass] is a freshman?" Premier Players head coach Steve Pratt asked. "Are you kidding? What does she do--drive a cement truck while she's in Wisconsin?"
Well, at least she doesn't knock down innocent cheerleaders.
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