With its fourth-straight ACC regular season title already locked up, the women's basketball team will wrap up its regular season against the N.C. State Wolfpack Monday at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum.
During the January 30th matchup between the two squads, the Wolfpack got off to a strong start in Cameron Indoor Stadium before a 14-0 second-half run allowed the Blue Devils to ultimately win 75-56.
"We know N.C. State played us so tough here," Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "They were ahead of us by 10 in the first half, [and] they outrebounded us by 11 for the game. I just want us to be focused and ready to play every single game."
The No. 3 Blue Devils (23-3, 14-1 in the ACC) have won six straight contests, and Alana Beard continues to steer the ship like she has all season. The senior leader is making a strong case for player of the year, recording at least 23 points in each of her last five conference matchups.
While the Blue Devils have remained strong, N.C. State has improved steadily over the course of the season, despite losing its last game against Georgia Tech. The Wolfpack are now 8-7 in conference play and 16-12 overall. The team has won four straight at home.
Based on the previous matchup in Cameron, the key factors in the game will likely be aggressiveness and endurance.
"We couldn't keep up the pace; we ran out of steam," N.C. State head coach Kay Yow said after the loss to Duke. "They got more aggressive with some traps here and there, just went after the loose balls and beat us to some rebounds when we had inside position."
This showdown will bring the ACC regular season to a close, but this conclusion only creates the beginning of ACC and NCAA Tournament speculation.
"Well, except [for] Florida State, we have beaten each team twice," Lindsey Harding said. It's really hard to beat them a third time, so we have be to prepared for and respect our opponents."
Senior forward Iciss Tillis is looking to match her strong performance from the January 30th meeting, but is also looking ahead to the postseason.
"We've played these teams twice," Tillis said. "Preparing a day or two in advance is not the key. It's [about] going over the stuff and getting the job done."
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