KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A tradition exists at Lady Volunteer games that the fans remain standing from the start of the game until Tennessee scores its first points.
Needless to say, the fans' feet became fairly fatigued after waiting more than five minutes of game time-which was substantially longer in actual time-for Tennessee center Nicky Anosike to bury the Volunteers' first bucket after Duke had rolled off 19 consecutive points to open the highly-anticipated matchup.
The lead the Blue Devils built off that jump-start gave them a substantial advantage early on that proved vital, since Tennessee outscored Duke 70-55 from that point on.
The opening onslaught was keyed by an aggressive and fast-moving offense, a smothering defense and a pair of timely three-pointers by Abby Waner, who finished with 21 points in the first half on 5-for-5 shooting from behind the arc.
Duke clawed for points down low. Lindsey Harding fought through the defense to contribute seven points to the run, and aside from a layup by Carrem Gay, Waner accounted for the other 10 points.
On the defensive end, the Blue Devils trapped the Volunteers every time they got an opportunity. Three minutes into the first half, Alison Bales harassed Tennessee guard Sidney Spencer while Waner hurried from the baseline to create a trap in the corner. After pressuring the ball, Bales stole it from Spencer and ended one of many Volunteer chances in the early going to secure the team's first points.
"First, to keep being aggressive," Harding said about what was going on in her head during the run. "We were sure they were going to make a run-you've got to count on that. We knew they were going to score."
The remarkable start to the game was even more impressive given the hostile environment the Blue Devils encountered last night-the game was almost a sell-out with 21,118 in attendance, by far the largest crowd that Duke has played in front of all season.
Competing on the road at a university where the women's team receives uncommonly more support than its men's team-in fact, the men's players and head coach Bruce Pearl painted their chests and cheered on the women in the student section-the Blue Devils not only had to overcome the fourth-ranked team, but they also had to prove they could handle the opposing noise of the most energetic crowd in women's basketball.
At the onset, the crowd was at a fever pitch, a noise-level that the Blue Devils had not come across prior to last night. But as Duke's lead built in the opening minutes of the game, the crowd's blare diminished little by little until it was almost silent during the first official timeout of the game, with Duke ahead 16-0.
"I love it," Waner said. "Our crowds at Cameron are amazing, sold-out events. But I love coming to away games and being able to play in front of a crowd like this. I think it says a lot about women's basketball that we have 21,000 at one game. That's incredible. I think our team thrives on this."
Although it was silenced for a while during the Blue Devil offensive blitz, the crowd came to life when Anosike hit the first shot for her team. And throughout the game, the fans needed very little excuse to burst out. The crowd was on its feet yelling whenever Tennessee did anything positive on either end.
The fans' noise was almost deafening when Candace Parker converted a three-point play that tied the game at 48, completing the comeback with 10:48 remaining in the second half. And again later when Parker cut the score to three with more than a minute remaining, the crowd cheered with a fervor that gave the impression that the season rested on this improbable comeback victory.
But facing the raucous environment, Duke persevered and secured a win that proved the Blue Devils will be able to handle the intense atmospheres at Maryland and North Carolina later in the season.
The extraordinary show of support last night was not a rare occurrence in Knoxville. Even against weaker opponents than Duke, the Tennessee faithful come early to every game and cheer hard. And like last night, the fans never sit once the game starts until the first points are scored, even if it takes as long as it did against the Blue Devils.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.