PHILADELPHIA — It all started with 30 seconds left in the first half.
Down by eight and with a full shot clock, the Blue Devils forced an attempt and then turned it over, choosing not to hold onto the ball for the final shot of the period. Twelve seconds was more than plenty to set up two-time National Player of the Year Maya Moore for a fade-away jumper, which she nailed to extend Connecticut’s lead to double-digits. It gave the Huskies the momentum to play a dominant second half.
“That was big for us, it felt good to be able to execute,” Moore said. “We had a good stop right before that, and that’s exactly how you want to go into the half.”
Reminiscent of the two teams’ first meeting of the season, in which Connecticut began the game 23-2, Duke was outscored 22-3 to begin the second half and never had a chance after, culminating in a 75-40 loss.
The Huskies’ scoring output came primarily within the paint. Although they dominated the post in both halves, outscoring the Blue Devils by 14 and 18, respectively, the statistics don’t show how completely the Connecticut frontcourt players took over in the second period. Duke only grabbed five rebounds in the second half, compared to the Huskies’ 21, giving Connecticut multiple opportunities to score underneath the basket on a given possession.
Moore and freshman center Stefanie Dolson were instrumental in taking care of the post for Connecticut, holding Blue Devil centers Krystal Thomas and Allison Vernerey to a combined three points on 1-for-8 shooting.
“Frankly, offensively, we were just horrible,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “To get eight points in the paint? Come on, you can’t beat anybody with eight points in the paint.”
Beyond play down low, a primary distinction between the two squads was Connecticut’s ability to convert turnovers into quick points. Although Duke only turned it over two more times than the Huskies, Connecticut had nine more points off turnovers and eight more on fast breaks.
McCallie and her players were also frustrated by the team’s inability to get back on defense on multiple occasions, a problem that plagued the Blue Devils even after made baskets.
“I think that the game started to get away from us in the first half with the transition defense,” senior Jasmine Thomas said. “We came out in the second half and took some quick shots and then let them get going.
The majority of those easy shots went to Moore, who did not miss a shot from the field in the second half despite injuring her left knee with 7:39 to play. While the injury caused her to spend time on the stationary bike, Auriemma still subbed her back in the game. It allowed Moore to score her 3,000th career point, a jump shot over the Duke defense.
“We just really lost contact with her,” senior Karima Christmas said. “We just really needed to bump her more and locate her and disrupt her shots, which we didn’t do.”
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