The fourth-ranked women's basketball team begins its quest for its fourth straight ACC regular season title Friday night, as it travels to Wake Forest (3-2) for a 7 p.m. matchup in Joel Coliseum.
The Blue Devils (4-1) have won 43 consecutive conference games and were 3-0 against the Demon Deacons last year. However, Wake Forest was highly competitive in two of those contests and nearly upset Duke in the first round of the 2003 ACC tournament.
"We have a really good conference, and it's exciting when you begin conference play," senior point guard Vicki Krapohl said. "I feel like our team has improved every year since I've been here, but so have the other teams in the ACC."
Duke has not lost to Wake Forest since the 1993-1994 season, and it will need to break down a strong Demon Deacon defense to keep that streak alive.
"We know that Wake plays aggressive defense," Krapohl said. "They play zone, man, and put pressure all over the ball. We've been working on attacking all types of defenses and working deep into our offense."
Wake Forest returns three starters from last year's 13-15 squad, including senior guard Tonia Brown--a third-team All-ACC member in 2001-2002--and ACC Rookie of the Year runner-up Cotelia Bond-Young. Despite the Demon Deacons' young lineup-they have five freshman and three sophomores on their roster-they have had a well-balanced scoring attack with year, with six players reaching double figures in at least one game.
The Blue Devils counter with a starting lineup of sophomores Lindsey Harding, Monique Currie and Mistie Bass, as well as senior All-Americans Alana Beard and Iciss Tillis. Beard has scored at least 20 points in her last three games after a disappointing 12 points on 4-of-17 shooting in the team's season-opening loss to No. 2 Texas.
One major emphasis for Duke in Friday's game will be rebounding. Head Coach Gail Goestenkors has stated that she wants her team to lead the nation in rebounding differential, but the Blue Devils were defeated on the glass for the first time this season in last Sunday's win against then-No. 25 Auburn.
"The last game we were out rebounded, and we took that to heart," Krapohl said. "We need to focus on getting to the boards and taking care of the ball."
Injuries have also been a problem in recent games for the Blue Devils, as Krapohl and sophomore guard Jessica Foley are the only healthy scholarship players on the bench. Freshman Brittany Hunter, who averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in Duke's first two games, is out until the end of December with a torn right lateral meniscus, while Wynter Whitley and Caitlin Howe remain sidelined with ankle and knee injuries, respectively.
The Blue Devils should get some help against Wake Forest from 6-foot-7 freshman Alison Bales, who played for the first time this season in the Duke Classic last weekend. However, her minutes remain limited as she continues to recover from a knee injury.
"Our team is so versatile that we're able to compensate [for the injuries]," Krapohl said. "Some of our guards can fill in at the post positions, and this will only be good for us and make us better down the line."
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