As Connecticut center Stephanie Dolson returned to the bench with her third foul, Duke had cut the Huskies’ 14-point lead to just five with over 17 minutes to go in the game. The Connecticut defense, led by reserve Kiah Stokes, stepped up though, forcing the Blue Devils into 19 consecutive missed shots as the Huskies coasted to victory.
With a 61-45 win, No. 3 Connecticut (20-2) handed No. 5 Duke (17-3) its first loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium since Jan. 18, 2010, when the Huskies won by a 81-48 margin.
The Blue Devils opened the game on a strong note. Duke center Elizabeth Williams turned Connecticut forward Kelly Faris away with an emphatic block on the opening possession, and less than four minutes into the contest, Dolson was already on the bench after committing two early fouls.
Without Dolson in the game, the Blue Devils remained close through the eight minute mark.
Duke had a chance to pull within two when guard Tricia Liston left her defender, guard Caroline Doty, at the perimeter with a swift offensive move. Doty, however, snuck back into the play to block Liston from behind, sparking the Huskies’ fast break and capping off the play by knocking down a 3-pointer in transition. The hustle play sparked a 12-2 run for Connecticut.
“We really pride ourselves in our defense,” Doty said. “I got beat [but] you never want to give up. You can always make something happen.... If you can get defensive stops, offense will come, and transition points are pretty much what wins games.”
Throughout the period, the Blue Devils struggled to attain any offensive rhythm compared to their opponents. At the break, the Huskies owned a 10-3 advantage in assists.
“You’ve got to penetrate, kick, [and] get the ball to the other side of the floor,” Blue Devil head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “I’m not sure I can find a ball reversal in the entire film.”
As the half drew to a close, however, Duke scored three consecutive baskets to cut the deficit to eight.
The Blue Devils carried their momentum into the second half, drawing a third foul on Dolson within three minutes and bringing the Connecticut lead down to five. Despite its promising run, Duke proceeded to play the next 11 minutes without registering a single field goal.
“It’s just focus,” forward Haley Peters said. “If you want to beat a team like that, you just have to lock into everything that you do for 40 minutes and you just can’t stop. You can’t get tired.”
The series of 19 consecutive missed field goals contributed to an altogether abysmal shooting performance for the Blue Devils, who made just 17-of-69 field-goal attempts.
The Connecticut defense proved suffocating throughout the night, forcing poor shot selection from nearly every Duke player. Only Richa Jackson managed to shoot over 30 percent from the floor, and Williams and Chelsea Gray missed more than 10 shots apiece.
The Huskies’ perimeter defenders proved especially stifling, as they were able to deny penetration throughout the night. The majority of Gray’s misses came on well-contested layup attempts from the edges of the paint.
“We have four interchangeable players,” Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemna said. “We switch a lot of screens. It’s difficult for teams to get comfortable against us because you might have a different kid guarding you every time down the court.”
On top of the lockdown defense from Connecticut’s guards and forwards, the Huskies benefited greatly from freshman center Kiah Stokes’ contributions off the bench. Stepping into the void left by Dolson due to foul trouble, Stokes grabbed 12 rebounds and registered five blocks, outworking Williams in the paint for most of the second half.
“I’m really bothered by the hustle plays,” McCallie said. “It’s important for our team to recognize that these are the intangibles. These are the things that allow a team to have a history like Connecticut…. These are the things that separate banners and not.”
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