Coaches always say that defense wins games, and the Blue Devil defense frustrated Charlotte in a big way Monday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
After a slow start, No. 10 Duke (3-1) went on the defeat the scrappy 49ers, 57-44. Duke now holds a 7-3 lead in its overall series with Charlotte (1-3), and can boast a 6-0 record when playing at home.
The Blue Devils were led by senior forward Joy Cheek, who sparked Duke’s offense with a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. In addition, Cheek impressed everybody in Cameron with her impeccable defense, with three blocks and three steals.
In the opening minutes of the game, Duke showed signs of laziness when it went down 9-4 with just four minutes played. Immediately after, Duke’s defense began to show the crowd why Duke is considered one of the best teams in the nation.
“We got a little upset at ourselves that we were turning the ball over and they were capitalizing on our turnovers [early in the game],” junior guard Jasmine Thomas said. “Then we went on a run, so we had to refocus and we knew that we had to make stops, and we finally got the stops we needed.”
The Blue Devils’ game-changing run began when senior forward Bridgette Mitchell recorded two steals within 35 seconds of one another. Less than two minutes later, fifth-year senior Keturah Jackson contributed her first steal of the game, and was able to capitalize with two quick points. Jackson went on to finish the game with a game-high five steals.
“What I like about this game is that the defense was there,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “And the defense is going to need to be there. We’re going to need to... build our tempo and chemistry on offense.”
Two blocks and one steal later, the Blue Devils still hadn’t given up a field goal. In fact, Duke would go on a 15-0 run in the 10 minutes that it took for the 49ers to end their scoring drought with a free throw. Duke would go on to end the half with a 32-23 lead.
The Blue Devils came back from halftime with renewed confidence in their offens, and they started the half with an 11-2 run to build a 15-point lead. Duke was even able to build a 20-point advantage on the 49ers with only 6:50 remaining in the game. However, no matter how hard the Blue Devils tried, they were unable to deliver the finishing blow to the scrappy Charlotte squad.
At the 2:50 mark, Charlotte threatened a comeback by scoring 10 unanswered points and closing the gap to 54-44. Then, Thomas connected with her only 3-pointer of the night to put the game out of reach for the underdog 49ers.
The Blue Devils’ third victory of the season was won through robust defense and excellent rebounding. However, last night’s win further exemplified Duke’s struggles offensively. The team’s two leading scorers, Cheek and Thomas, combined for 9-of-30 shooting, including a 2-of-7 performance from the 3-point line. In addition, Duke struggled from the free-throw line, only capitalizing on four of 11 attempts.
“We need to focus a little more, slow down and be a lot more patient,” McCallie said. “We’ve got learn to share the ball.”
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