Every week throughout the basketball season, The Blue Zone will name the highest-performing Blue Devil the Duke basketball Player of the Week.
Elizabeth Williams
Statline- Thursday vs. Old Dominion: 12 points, 5-of-10 shooting, 12 rebounds, two assists and four blocks in 29 minutes.
The good: Williams did not seem to loose a step over the holiday, notching a double-double against the Monarchs en route to the team’s 13th victory. Williams point total was not shocking—she is averaging 13.2 points per game. But, Williams, who has the potential to dominate opposing teams in the paint had only been grabbing 6.4 rebounds this season. She had a great game on the boards, with six offensive rebounds and six defensive rebounds. The junior from Norfolk, V.A. didn’t just give the Blue Devils offensive output, as she registered four blocks and a steal, helping Duke hold visiting Old Dominion to 63 points.
The bad: Williams went 2-of-5 from the free-throw line and is only converting just more than half of her attempts from the charity strike. Going in to ACC play, opposing teams may try to send her to the line before she can score in the paint, forcing Williams to quickly improve at the strike. If she starts making free throws more consistently, she will become tough to defend in the paint.
The bottom line: This year’s team holds many years of experience and a wealth of talent, but Williams is a key of the Blue Devil frontcourt. When fellow forward Haley Peters was sidelined with an injury earlier this season, Williams helped fill the void left by the senior and helped Duke maintain its then-undefeated record during her absence. Should Williams continue to score and rebound in double digits, opposing teams will have trouble preventing a high number of Duke points in the paint.
Honorable Mention: Freshman forward Oderah Chidom played just 11 minutes against the Monarchs, but took advantage of her limited playing time and scored 13 points. She shot 6-of-7 from the field, while grabbing two offensive rebounds underneath. Chidom was hampered by three personal fouls and could not add to her total, but her exceptional play still earned her an honorable mention this week. Chidom continues to see more playing time and has become a nice complement off the bench this season.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.