Six minutes into Sunday afternoon's blowout victory over Northwestern State, with Duke owning a commanding 13-0 lead, the reporter sitting next to me said, "I wonder if they'll ever score."
The Lady Demons' Diamond Cosby responded immediately with two of her team-high 17 points on the very next possession, erasing any hope of a Blue Devil shutout. And although Cosby and Northwestern State never came close to narrowing the scoring gap, they did muster enough offense to cut Duke's lead to a relatively modest nine points at the first official timeout.
Enter reserve freshman Alison Bales, the 6-foot-7 center who provided an immediate spark for Duke on both ends of the floor.
"[Bales has] been working hard all year long just waiting for her opportunity, and I think she's making the most of it," Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "I'm very proud of her for staying positive and working hard and being ready for her opportunity."
Although Bales played only eight minutes in the first half, she collected four points on two-of-two shooting, four rebounds, three blocks, one assist and one steal. For the game she poured in nine points, grabbed six boards and had five rejections, which far exceeded her season averages in those categories.
"Alison has been making huge steps in practice," senior forward Iciss Tillis said. "She's being more aggressive and coming along really well. That's what we need from her." Duke undoubtedly would have been fine with or without Bales' contribution yesterday, but her productivity could be a key asset as the Blue Devils advance deeper into the NCAA tournament, especially if fellow freshman Brittany Hunter continues to struggle from the effects of a torn meniscus suffered in November's victory over Purdue. Prior to her injury, Hunter was an early candidate for national freshman of the year honors, averaging 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, three blocks and three steals per game. However, after missing four weeks of action, Hunter's minutes and productivity have been limited in her comeback as her knee continues to flare up. "Brittany has only practiced with us once since the ACC tournament, and after that day her knew swelled up like a football and she had to have it drained," Goestenkors said. "We knew not to count on Brittany, so we've really been focusing on Ally, knowing that we need some more depth in that post spot, and Ally has responded." Bales will be needed to spell starting center Mistie Bass and fill the void in the middle if Bass gets into foul trouble. The Blue Devils do have the 6-foot-5 Tillis as an option down low, but having big bodies like Bass and Bales in the post allows the versatile forward to utilize her myriad skills away from the basket. "I feel like Alison really has the potential to step up for us [in the tournament]," said Bass, who is happy to have another option inside. "It's definitely a great thing when you're not the only post player in the lane where all the attention is focused on just one person. If you're not open or you get double teamed and there's another post player right next to you, you can go ahead and just dish it to them." Bales, for her part, is enjoying her chance to contribute to the Blue Devils' postseason success. "It's great to be a part of such an awesome school and an awesome program," she said. "Our goal is to go all the way, so whatever I can do to help I will."
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