The women's basketball team (22-1, 10-0 in the ACC) looks to remain undefeated in the ACC against hungry Georgia Tech (15-7, 4-6) Thursday at 7 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets, who started the season 11-1, are beginning to hit their stride again while hoping for an NCAA tournament bid, a proposition that scares Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors.
"They have been playing really well," she said. "They have won four of their last five games. A win over us would really go a long way as far as getting into the NCAA tournament. They are a very dangerous team."
Contrasting with the silky smooth, skill-oriented Blue Devils, Georgia Tech relies on grit and physical play. The Yellow Jackets are led by center Sonja Mallory, who is the ACC's second leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 17.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
"They have one of the best, if not the best, post players in the league in Sonja Mallory," Goestenkors said. "She's very tough to defend on the low block."
Now that Duke's freshman guard Lindsey Harding has joined the starting lineup, the proposition of stopping Mallory becomes more difficult as the Blue Devils will have less of a height advantage at the start of the game.
Although the insertion of Harding makes Duke smaller, it also allows the team to be much quicker and more aggressive. These traits should help the Blue Devils avoid the slow starts that have plagued the team all season long, most notably in its only loss of the season against Connecticut.
"We decided to go small and quicker," Harding said. "Hopefully we will create some turnovers and get our offense going."
The Blue Devils trailed the Yellow Jackets at halftime on their Jan. 13 meeting, but a late run coupled with 17 second half points from Alana Beard led Duke to a 79-59 win.
The Blue Devils do not expect to have another slow start tomorrow.
"They are going to be gunning for us tomorrow night," Duke forward Sheana Mosch said. "We're going to have to be ready."
Georgia Tech's second leading scorer, Fallon Stokes, will also give Duke problems. Playing the swing-guard position, Stokes is averaging 14.8 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game.
"A tremendous athlete, who does a good job of taking the ball to the basket," Goestenkors said about Stokes.
Tech's third threat on the court is sharp-shooter Megan Isom, who has hit 42 three-pointers on the season. Isom hit three of those 42 in the first half against Duke.
"Megan hurt us last game," Goestenkors said. "She is a tremendous shooter."
Although Tech has its weapons, it will struggle to keep up with Duke's fire-power. Beard averages nearly six points more than any other player in the ACC, and Iciss Tillis scored a then-career high 24 points against the Yellow Jackets earlier this season. Duke's reserves Jessica Foley and Brooke Smith are questionable for the game after both sprained their ankles during practice.
"We're just going to come out ready to play hard and smart," Tillis said.
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