After the men’s team suffered a shocking upset in their first NCAA tournament game, Duke's women’s squad will look to avoid a similar early exit.
Second-seeded Duke begins its quest to reach the Final Four, facing 15th-seeded Winthrop Saturday at 11 a.m. The Blue Devils have the luxury of playing the first weekend of the tournament at Cameron Indoor Stadium in their first action since March 9, when they lost to Notre Dame 69-53 in the finals of the ACC tournament.
“Being able to be in Cameron [Indoor Stadium] for our first two games is really special,” senior forward Haley Peters said. “We’re just trying to extend our season for as long as we can, play as many games as we can, and grow as much as we can, and just make the most out of it.”
Duke (26-7, 12-4 in the ACC) will face a balanced Eagles team that features four starters averaging double-digit scoring. Winthrop (24-8) boasts the Big South Player of the Year in junior guard Dequesha McClanahan, who registered 17.6 points, 6.5 boards and 6.6 assists per contest this season. She is joined in the backcourt by freshman Erica Williams—who is second on the team in scoring at pulled down 7.9 rebounds per game despite standing just 5-foot-10—to give the Eagles a formidable perimeter duo that could threaten the guard-deprived Blue Devils.
“They’re a super team,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “They are guard driven. They are very quick. They have one of the best players around in Dequesha McClanahan, and Erica Williams has really come on for them. I’m amazed at how physical Williams plays, because she’s just a freshman, and she takes on everybody.”
Because of its strong guard play, Winthrop excels in shutting down opponents on the perimeter. Opponents hit just 27.9 percent of their 3-point attempts against the Eagles this season—something that will likely come into play against Duke. The Blue Devils led the nation this season with a 40.8 shooting percentage from beyond the arc, and senior guard Tricia Liston—the team’s leading scorer at 17.3 points per game—knocked down treys at a 48.3 percent clip.
Liston has been a consistent offensive threat in a year where Duke has had a distinct lack of stability in its lineup. Since the beginning of the season, the Blue Devils have lost five guards for a variety of reasons—most notably the season-ending injuries to starting guards Chelsea Gray and Alexis Jones.
The vacancy in the lineup has opened the door for junior guard Ka’lia Johnson to step in. Johnson was not originally slotted as a ball-handler, but has had to transition into that role thanks to the onslaught of injuries Duke has faced. In the five games since Jones’ injury, Johnson has filled in admirably, averaging nearly 30 minutes per game and hitting several key shots along the way.
“A-plus impressive. Unbelievable,” McCallie said. “Do we have precedence for a three-guard to become a point guard, and to do as well as she has done? We’re very proud of her, and Ka’lia hasn’t gotten much press for that.”
Regardless of who they are missing in the lineup, the Blue Devils are eager to hit the hardwood and get back into action. They face a daunting route to the Final Four—with top overall seed Connecticut in their region—but Duke is excited about washing the bad taste of the Notre Dame loss out of its mouth and embarking on a run through the tournament.
“We’re just really excited to play,” McCallie said. "This is a great time of year. We’re just really excited about what we hope to gain by playing and seeing an improvement from there.”
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