Every week throughout the basketball season, The Blue Zone will name the highest-performing Blue Devil the Duke basketball Player of the Week.
Haley Peters
Statline: Tuesday vs. Connecticut—11 points, 5-of-11 shooting, six rebounds, two assists and three steals in 34 minutes.
Thursday vs. Albany—17 points, 8-of-12 shooting, four rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes.
The good: The senior forward from Red Bank, N.J. is fully recovered from a knee injury that sidelined her for four games and has teamed up with fellow forward Elizabeth Williams to give Duke a strong inside presence. Peters is once again giving the Blue Devils an offensive boost and has averaged 15 points per game since her return. She helped Duke bounce back after a tough loss to Connecticut, scoring in double-digits against Albany, despite only playing 22 minutes.
The bad: Peters needs to be more active on the boards. Although she snagged six rebounds against the Huskies, that number dropped to four on Thursday night against Albany. She was averaging 10 rebounds a contest before her injury, which helped Duke command control of the boards at the beginning of the season. Connecticut outrebounded the Blue Devils 39-31 in Tuesday’s matchup on its way to an 83-61 victory. To beat top-ranked opponents, Duke needs Peters to revert back to registering a double-double in almost every game.
The bottom line: There is no doubt the Blue Devils look stronger on both ends of the court with Peters in the lineup. Her size and experience is valuable in the paint and is a crucial complement to Duke’s strong backcourt. She was sorely missed during her injury and her return only adds to the Blue Devils’ arsenal of weapons on the court.
Honorable Mention: Chelsea Gray had two solid games this week, scoring 13 points in the loss to Connecticut and 12 in the win over Albany. She had trouble spreading the ball around and had only two assists against the Huskies, but had no trouble finding her teammates against the Great Danes, notching nine assists. Gray also did a solid job of taking care of the ball in both games, only turning the ball over three times this week. Gray continues to get healthier after sustaining a knee injury last year and seems poised to lead the Blue Devils on a run to the national championship game.
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