RALEIGH -- In what was anticipated to be a battle between the nation's top defense and offense, the Blue Devils looked like they were the team carrying both these labels Tuesday evening. Duke's pressure defense effectively wore down Utah, thereby allowing its offense to take charge.
The Blue Devils more than made up for their lackluster defensive game against Georgia State Sunday. Though it started off the game very quick and appeared impatient at times, Duke effectively switched its defense in the second half and played a strong man-to-man pressure.
Duke played smart the whole game and avoided sending a single Ute to the free throw line in the first half. As a whole, the Blue Devils appeared to have full focus and an unrelenting toughness.
Utah kept the score close for the first 30 minutes until Duke wore it down in the second half, allowing the Blue Devils to gain a comfortable lead and eliminate any hopes of a Ute comeback. Utah led once at 20-19 with 9:55 remaining in the first half, but Duke's defense never allowed it to trail again.
Known primarily for its defensive prowess, Utah surprised the Blue Devils with its strong offensive game early. "We played some of our best defense and yet at halftime, they were shooting 47 percent," head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "Every single time you make a mistake, they make you pay."
The Utes came out as strong as expected in terms of long-range shooting, but Duke's perimeter coverage drastically improved after the half. The Utes shot 62.5 percent from beyond the arc in the first, but were held to a mere 16.7 percent in the second.
Utah got too many wide-open looks early in the game, forcing the Blue Devils to alter its defense to limit the number of screens. Duke also managed to reduce Utah's field goal shooting percentage by 10 percent from the first to second halves.
"We started switching more," Vicki Krapohl said. "Before we were trying to hedge on screens and then recover, and that wasn't really working, so we were switching on the screens on the ball and that really helped our perimeter defense."
The Blue Devils jumped on the Utes immediately after the break. With 18:56 left on the clock, Alana Beard snatched the ball from Kim Smith, tore down the court, and made the layup. Just 13 seconds later, in an almost identical play, Iciss Tillis stole the ball from Shona Thorburn, and raced to the other coast for another two points and an 11-point Duke advantage.
Tillis dominated the defensive boards, racking up eight of the team's 23. The junior forward, who also notched four steals, earned her 10th double-double on the season.
"Everyday I just try and go out and get my rebounds," she said. "That's something I sort of pride myself in. I like to have at least eight or ten per game."
Beard scored a game-high 27 points, but it was defense for which she lauded both herself and her teammates. She was effective in guarding the nearly unstoppable Kim Smith, and held her to 15 less than Smith's first round performance.
"Twenty points," Beard said. "That's not very good defense, but I think I take more pride in our defense."
With the Utes having a smaller inside presence, Duke was able to penetrate to the basket and gained 22 points in the paint. The Blue Devils in turn played strong post defense, allowing Utah only 12 points down low.
The Blue Devils successfully wore down the Utes in the game's final minutes and prevented any last-minute runs. Beginning near the 13-minute mark in the second half, Duke denied any Utah field goals for seven and a half minutes, during which time it raced to a 19-point lead.
"I think we learned that we can rely a lot on our defense," Beard said. "When our offense wasn't clicking the way we wanted it to click, we use our defense to really get us through and as the saying goes, defense and rebounding win championships."
If what Beard says is true and Duke keeps up its defensive prowess, the team is well on its way to Atlanta.
The Blue Devils will next take on fifth-seeded Georgia, which despite losing two of its top-scorers outlasted Rutgers. Matching the Bulldogs' defensive toughness will be an essential component to next week's contest.
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