CLEMSON, S.C. - After their first loss of the season this past weekend to then-No. 2 Connecticut on national television, the women's basketball team (21-1, 9-0 in the ACC) continues to roll along their undefeated ACC path outlasting a struggling Clemson team (11-10, 3-7) that has lost five consecutive contests.
Duke's game plan started by implementing strong defense, keeping the Lady Tigers on the perimeter without even permitting a look for an open pass inside. An essential cog of the defense was Lindsey Harding, a lightning-fast point guard who recorded her first career start by replacing fellow freshman, Mistie Bass. She did not enter shyly, contributing a consistent and intense effort on defense. Harding finished with a team-leading five steals, and forced two consecutive turnovers three minutes into the first half.
"I think Lindsey's playing great basketball," head coach Gail Goestenkors said about her decision to start Harding. "She does a tremendous job of setting the tone for us defensively. She had another really nice game again tonight."
Still, offensive play from both squads was faltering on both sides during the first half. Iciss Tillis managed to lead the Blue Devils by scoring some short jumpers over Clemson power forward Amanda White, but the game's edge continued to oscillate.
The Blue Devils went on a 7-0 run after the first five minutes, but the Lady Tigers fought back as if it were clockwork, with two consecutive three-point field goals by Lakeia Stokes, who came off the bench and led Clemson in points, with eight entering the second half.
However, the Lady Tigers' usually-dominant player, Chrissy Floyd, fell short of leading her team as she a mere three shots under defensive pressure from Alana Beard. And by the final eight minutes of the first half, Clemson's second string players were fighting to prevent Duke from pulling away.
But the Blue Devils persisted with tough defense, forcing five turnovers in the final eight minutes, which allocated their offense some breathing room for Tillis and Jessica Foley to expand Duke's lead to 36-25 by the half.
Duke's toughness really came through at the start of the second half as the Blue Devils began to ease - but not break away - from a struggling Clemson team.
After nine minutes, the Lady Tigers had turned the ball over eight times. Duke was characteristically opportunistic, therefore giving themselves the chance to gain an equal number of successful possessions and to build a nearly insurmountable 20-point lead with 9:37 remaining.
"We had defensive spurts and defensive breakdowns," Tillis said.
For 11 straight minutes, the Blue Devils had a slight breakdown. The team froze up on offense while Clemson began to sneak up on Duke's seemingly overwhelming lead. For those 11 minutes, however, the Blue Devils would not make a single field goal as they went ice cold.
The Lady Tigers capitalized, and would go on a 10-0 run, eventually cutting Duke's lead to eight with just over a minute and a half left. The Blue Devils' offense did not convert. In fact, Duke failed to score a field goal until Michele Matyasovsky hit a short jumper with 12 seconds remaining in the contest.
"We got away from what we were doing in the first half and the beginning of the second half," Alana Beard said. "We stopped attacking and we started taking outside shots and taking quick shots."
Still, Clemson continued to play inconsistently, even when Duke did not seem to be playing defense at all.
For example, with 5:47 left, Tillis left the ball out for the taking as Stokes easily grabbed it and charged down the court for a fast break. But at the other end, the Lady Tigers were not able to execute. Stokes missed the opportunity for a fast break layup with very little defensive pressure.
"We've got more offenses than every team in the ACC put together," Davis said. "We just can't execute."
Luckily for the Blue Devils, Clemson was not able to fully take advantage of Duke's drought in the second half. Instead, Duke persevered and added to its ACC record 33 consecutive conference victories. Certainly, Beard and the Blue Devils have recovered from their lone loss.
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