RALEIGH -- Word circulated quickly through Reynolds Coliseum prior to tipoff yesterday: Alana Beard's status in Duke's second round matchup against No. 8 seed Utah was questionable because of a sprained ankle. Beard had not participated in a team shootaround earlier in the day, and had been up much of the night icing her ankle for 20 minutes every hour. But was there ever really any doubt the two-time All-American would play?
"I knew she was going to go," head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "I [just] didn't know how well she'd be able to play."
Twenty-seven points on 10-of-12 shooting, a pair of steals, one block and a 65-54 victory later, Goestenkors had her answer. As usual, Beard catalyzed the Blue Devils-who will take on No. 5 seed Georgia in the Sweet 16-on both sides of the floor, particularly with 13:29 remaining in the contest.
Utah (24-7), led by freshman scoring machine Kim Smith, had closed to 40-36 on the strength of a 6-0 run, all scored while Beard rested on the bench. To temper the storm, No. 1 Duke (33-1) called a 30-second timeout and reinserted Beard into the lineup.
What ensued was an 8 1/2 minute stretch in which Duke held the Utes to one field goal, going on a 23-6 run highlighted by Beard's eight
The Blue Devil defense fed off her energy, and brought the underrated Utah offense to a screeching halt.
"We talked about the fact... that this was the time of game when [Utah's players] should wear down," Goestenkors said. "So we had to keep up the pressure.... Make them make plays with pressure. And I thought our defense at that point in time really knuckled down and caused them some problems."
Still, the Blue Devils had a hard time slowing Utah's double threat of Smith and Shona Thorburn. Despite Beard, Lindsey Harding, Vicki Krapohl and Sheana Mosch trading time guarding the duo, the Utes' best players still managed to score 32 points and keep them close for 27 minutes. And though Smith did not score until the 13-minute mark in the first half, Beard knew she would find a way to get her points.
However, Duke's intense man-to-man pressure wore on Utah and caused them to make some careless--and crucial--mistakes. Beard ripped Smith twice during the contest and took the ball in for uncontested layups; Tillis recorded four steals, Krapohl two and Harding one. All in all, the Blue Devils recorded 22 points off turnovers.
Tillis, who along with Beard is a Kodak All-American
"I just go out there and get my rebounds," Tillis said. "Just by focusing on that, the offense just kind of comes. I try not to really force anything offensively, just hopefully try and get some steals and play good defense and rebound and let everything else take care of itself."
Perhaps more impressive than Tillis' offensive and defensive stats was her ability to shut down the Utes' lone post threat, Carley Marshall. The 6-foot-2 junior averages 10.1 points per game, but was limited to just two points on 1-of-3 shooting. Marshall had expressed concern prior to the game that she would be unable to produce in the paint with Duke's big bodies of Tillis, Mistie Bass and Michele Matyasovsky banging away, and her worries certainly came true. In addition to her lackluster offensive performance, she and the Utes gave up 11 offensive rebounds to the taller and deeper Blue Devils, a stat that translated into 15 second-chance points for the nation's top team.
"I'm just really proud of my team, both offensively and defensively," Goestenkors said. "We did what was necessary to win."
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