Blue Devils look to rebound against N.C. State

Six days after a disappointing loss to Tennessee, the second-ranked women'sbasketball team (15-2, 6-0 in the ACC) resumes its conference play tonight, as it hosts N.C. State (10-10, 2-5) at 7 p.m. tonight in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

 The Blue Devils will be looking to recover from their first loss in their last 16 contests, but they will face a Wolfpack team that has gained momentum with two straight ACC wins after starting 0-5.

 "We are coming off a tough loss to Tennessee, and we are looking forward to the N.C. State game," Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors said.

 "We know it is going to be a battle. They are playing their best basketball right now and are coming together at the right time."

 When the two teams met in Durham last season, Duke pulled out a 54-44 victory in one of its ugliest games of the season. However, N.C. State has not won at Cameron since 1992, the year before Goestenkors arrived. In orderto break that streak, the Wolfpack will have to defeat a Blue Devil team that comes out with a vengeance after it loses.

  In each of the last three seasons, Duke has gone on two 15-game winning streaks and one 22-game undefeated run after suffering defeats to Texas, Connecticut and Tennessee.

 "Losing a game gives us more motivation because we know we can only stop ourselves," said sophomore point guard Lindsey Harding, whose 1.88 assist-to-turnover ratio is second in the conference. "We don't take anything for granted, and we know it's going to be a hard-fought game." The Wolfpack are led offensively by senior center Kaayla Chones, who ranks fourth in the ACC with 14.6 points and third in rebounding with 7.6 per game. The Pepper Pike, Ohio native has scored in double figures in all but three games this season.

  The Blue Devils counter inside with sophomore Mistie Bass and freshman Brittany Hunter, who will be largely responsible for containing Chones.

 "[Chones] is a great player," senior forward Iciss Tillis said. "She has great post moves and is a great offensive rebounder."

 N.C. State's greatest asset may be its defensive prowess, as it is second in the league in scoring average, allowing opponents only 56.7 points per game in conference play. Duke, though, has one of the most prolific offenses in the nation, posting 84.1 points per game.

 Four of Duke's five starters average double figures in scoring, led by senior All American Alana Beard. Beard is nursing a groin injury and recovering from a strained ligament in her foot suffered against the Volunteers, but she is expected to be ready to play tonight.

  The Blue Devils are also hoping that Tillis emerges from her recent shooting slump. The All American showed signs of breaking out of her rut with a solid performance last week against Maryland, but she hit only 3 of 16 shots from the field against Tennessee.

 "My shots still aren't falling the way that I want," Tillis said. "But I've been playing good defense, and I'll take a great defensive day over a great offensive day anytime."

  Tonight's matchup is the start of a taxing stretch for the Blue Devils, in which they have three games in six days. "This is a tough stretch for us," Goestenkors said. "We are going to need to step up and play much better basketball than we did against Tennessee to be successful."