HALFTIME: Connecticut 41, Duke 26

The No. 2 Blue Devils have traditionally only played one good half against the No. 1 Huskies—tonight, it definitely wasn’t the first half.

Duke was overwhelmed by Connecticut’s speed, length and versatility and trails 41-26 at the break. Sophomore forward Breanna Stewart leads Connecticut with 15 points and five rebounds, and the tenacious Huskie defense has held Duke to 31 percent shooting and gotten four blocks. Connecticut’s offense has also impressed—the Huskies have 14 assists on 17 made baskets.

Duke made a spirited comeback towards the end of the half after trailing by as many as 23, though, and will continue on the comeback trail when the second half commences—the Blue Devils are led by senior point guard Chelsea Gray, who scored seven points late in the frame.

Observations:

• Neither team had any trouble getting going offensively early on, with sophomore forward Breanna Stewart setting the tone for Connecticut and seniors Tricia Liston and Haley Peters getting Duke going—the Huskies led 14-11 with 14:59 left behind eight points from Stewart.
• The Blue Devils attempted to combat the Huskies’ potent offense with a variety of zone defenses that were neutralized by Connecticut’s transition offense—the Huskies often scored before Duke’s defense was set.
• The Huskies dismantled Duke’s offense during the middle portion of the half, switching screens and contesting the Blue Devils’ perimeter shots with their length, taking a commanding 25-12 lead with 8:46 left.
• Connecticut senior center Stefanie Dolson and Stewart continued to punish Duke inside, allowing the Huskies to accumulate 18 points in the paint and nine second-chance points
• One of the positives for Duke thus far has been offensive rebounding—the Blue Devils gathered many of their own misses, finishing with six offensive rebounds in the first frame.
• Down 23 with five minutes left in the half, Duke started playing with the reckless abandon necessary to successfully combat a team like Connecticut, closing the half on a 11-3 run sparked by reserve Chloe Wells and senior point guard Chelsea Gray.
• Duke finally showed the defensive attention-to-detail necessary to track the Husky shooters towards the end of the half—the Blue Devils’ ability to do so in the second half will determine how far they can take their comeback.
• The Duke football team and several Cameron Crazies are in attendance and have brought tremendous energy to the contest—it will be interesting to see if the Blue Devils can use the adrenaline to get the deficit under 10 and make it a close game late.