ATLANTA -- For the last game of the year, observers could sing the same old refrain they've been singing since January: Alana Beard is a one-woman team. Most times it was sung, it was a joyous song--but Sunday night in Atlanta, it became a dirge.
Beginning after Duke fell behind 56-49 with 2:34 remaining, Beard took the ball to the basket seven consecutive times in a fitting finale to Duke's NCAA Tournament run and season.
Beard, who scored 29 points in the loss, made some acrobatic and phenomenal plays on the seven possessions, once spinning to the basket on a drive and contorting her body for a graceful layup as she was fouled by Tennessee's Shyra Ely for a three-point play. But she also missed three layups, and she bricked the front end of a one-and-one after a foul during a drive.
For better or worse, Beard was Duke's entire offense, as she had been in a number of games this season. As Duke's offense stagnated throughout the Tournament and game, the other Blue Devils found themselves spending much of their time standing and watching Beard perform.
"You can't win a basketball game with one person scoring all the points," said senior Sheana Mosch, who came off the bench to finish second in scoring for Duke with 10. "We've known that all year long, and Alana has never tried to take on that role for this team. I know that we definitely needed other people to step up and spread out the scoring."
Duke had its best offensive production during a 8-0 run in the first half, in which all the points were scored on fast breaks, or on the foul shots that ensued. In the second half, with the Lady Volunteers denying Duke baskets in transition, the Blue Devils began looking increasingly to Beard.
During the final few minutes, as the Blue Devils desperately tried to claw back into the game, Tennessee switched to a zone that effectively denied the wings. Beard had open lanes and some open shots.
"When you've got someone the caliber of Alana, I think there's a point in time when we need her to take over," Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "I wanted her to take every shot at that point in time."
Junior point guard Vicki Krapohl added that, late in a close game, "We all know what our best chance is, and our best chance is to give Alana the ball. That's what we did, and she almost did it herself."
Goestenkors wanted the ball with her star junior, but largely because the team's other hands were shaky.
"We need to have some other players step forward," she said. "We have other players on our team that can score and have scored in the past, all season long. They've got to be able to do it in pressure situations."
Duke advanced to the Final Four because Beard scored 28 of the Blue Devils' 57 points in a win over Texas Tech. From late in the season, when Duke was scoring 80 or 90 points per game, to the ACC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, when scoring dropped into the 70s, then 60s, then 50s, Beard's scoring remained essentially constant, while her teammates' production plummeted.
Duke's loss in the Final Four marks the second time in two years the Blue Devils were eliminated by a senior-led team in the national semifinals. But this year, the feelings surrounding the loss were different.
"Last year we were just surprised and satisfied to get to the Final Four with only eight players," sophomore Wynter Whitley said. "Last year was more of, 'Wow, look at what we accomplished,' and 'I can't wait for next year, because next year we're going all the way.' And this year, it's like, 'We got here, and we didn't do it.' It's definitely a lot more disappointing. Coach G said she can't say anything to make this feel better."
The Blue Devils were left to focus on all the little things they failed to do: rebound, defend in transition, move off the ball. "Everyone in this room feels like we could have done something," Krapohl said after the game in the team's locker.
Duke was outrebounded 41-30, and Tennessee outscored the Blue Devils 15-6 in second-chance points. Beard said that Duke's failure on the boards, accounted for the loss. But no matter the blame, the failure to meet their own expectations left many Blue Devils with red eyes.
"[After last year's loss to Oklahoma] we were upset, but it didn't hurt deep, deep inside," Goestenkors said. "Tonight, we hurt."
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