Duke looks for solid win vs. UMD

The long-standing rivalry between Duke and Maryland may be hotly contested in many sports, but in women’s basketball it hasn’t been quite as fair. The Blue Devils have won 25 of the last 32 contests, and No. 7 Duke (23-2, 9-1 in the ACC) will try to beat the No. 16 Terrapins (20-5, 6-4) once again in College Park tonight.

But the recent contests between the two teams haven’t been without their share of drama. In the last contest, Maryland led with only two minutes remaining in the game, but Jasmine Thomas scored seven points down the stretch to secure a 71-64 win for her team. Head coach Joanne P. McCallie was not pleased with her team’s effort in that game.

“We were awful. We did not play a good basketball game,” McCallie said. “They took a 12-point lead. We didn’t play extremely well­—much better second half than first—and it would be nice to try and play 40 minutes. We haven’t played 40 minutes against them.”

The Blue Devils are coming off a great defensive performance against Boston College, shutting down center Carolyn Swords, the ACC’s third-leading scorer, for most of the game. Maintaining that kind of defensive toughness will be key against the Terrapins, who average about 73 points per game, 10 more than the Blue Devils typically allow. Like the Eagles’ attack, Maryland’s offense revolves primarily around a post player: Junior Lynetta Kizer has racked up 13.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. She’s not alone contributing down low, as sophomore forward Diandra Tchatchouang adds another 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds.

“For a game like Maryland, their post players are pretty good,” Duke center Allison Vernerey said. “Kizer is one of the dominant posts in the ACC, so I think we just try to go strong every time and keep proving ourselves all together.”

The Blue Devils will need Vernerey to continue the recent surge in her performance. The sophomore has been hitting on all cylinders the past three games, averaging 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals against stout competition. The game will pit Vernerey against a former teammate in Tchatchouang—the two played together on the French national team before coming to college in the U.S. The pair have faced each other four times since coming across the Atlantic, and maintain a strong friendship.

“I’m pretty excited about playing against her and seeing her,” Vernerey said. “She’s from France, outside of Paris, and we know each other really well so it’s pretty cool.”

Vernerey struggled with injuries early in the season. But with Maryland tonight and the postseason fast approaching, all of that is in the past.