When a team has a combination of great shooting and great defense, it usually finds itself on the winning end.
On Sunday against Georgia Tech, No. 4 Duke (17-1, 5-0 in the ACC) had just that, handily winning 60-34 in Cameron Indoor Stadium for the team's 15th consecutive victory. The Blue Devils shot a season-high 50 percent from the field while holding the Yellow Jackets to a season-low 25.5 percent.
Duke got out of the gate quickly and took a 10-point lead midway through the first half, never letting Georgia Tech get any closer.
The Blue Devils built their early lead despite the absence of leading scorer Chante Black for much of the first half.
For the second straight game, Black picked up two quick fouls and was forced to the bench. Unlike the previous contest against N.C. State, however, Black's absence did not slow the Blue Devils down, especially defensively. Georgia Tech (14-5, 2-3) had four times as many turnovers, 16, as they did made field goals, four, in the first half.
"I think a lot of people stepped up," head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "We kept moving the ball, kept attacking their press... even without [Chante] on the floor."
Abby Waner led a balanced Duke attack with a game-high 14 points. Jasmine Thomas and Black each chipped in 10.
But perhaps due to the even scoring and excellent shooting, Duke got complacent and committed 24 turnovers, including seven by Waner.
In the second half, these giveaways allowed the Yellow Jackets to make a run. Georgia Tech's leading scorer Alex Montgomery tried her best to keep it close, scoring eight points in a row during a 10-0 spurt that cut the lead to 17 at 44-27. Duke quickly recovered, however, and built the margin back up to 25 points after calling a timeout to halt the run.
"The team knew at the time that we had become a little bit careless with the basketball," McCallie said. "It was a good pause. We needed that pause because we were just a little bit out of the flow."
Duke's defense carried the team the rest of the way and limited the Yellow Jackets to seven points for the final eight and a half minutes.
The Blue Devils seamlessly switched between zone and pressure man defense and continuously hassled the Yellow Jacket guards, forcing the starting backcourt into eight turnovers and 1-for-9 shooting and making sure Georgia Tech wouldn't have two straight upset wins after it beat No. 2 North Carolina Thursday.
Yellow Jacket head coach MaChelle Joseph noted that her team may have come out flat after expending so much energy in the victory over the Tar Heels.
"That [UNC game] was a huge game for us, and it took a lot of emotion out of us," she said.
And Duke made life even tougher for its opponent by running a slow-paced halfcourt offense to force long defensive possessions for Georgia Tech.
"I thought we kept more poise on offense and didn't quick shoot as much," McCallie said. "It's different if a team has to play 20 seconds of defense versus eight seconds."
And by combining that effort on offense with its intensity on defense, the Blue Devils were able to earn another victory.
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