After watching the men’s team dominate Presbyterian Friday night, the Blue Devils were eager to show that there is another basketball team in Durham to keep an eye on. They did just that and more in their season opener Sunday.
With a dominant 42-9 run to begin the first half, No. 7 Duke made quick work of Alabama with a 90-40 victory on the road in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Blue Devils stellar showing was fueled by a tenacious effort on defense coupled with a punishing performance in the post.
“This team has great chemistry and leadership,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said in the postgame press conference. “This is a really fun team to coach. It’s going to be a long time before we get to our best. It’s going to take us awhile to figure out how to play with each other after losing those four starters.”
Using heavy full-court pressure from the start of the game, Duke (1-0) was able to force the Crimson Tide point guards into errant passes, most of which were intercepted by Blue Devils playing the passing lanes. Duke’s defense forced Alabama (1-1) into 21 turnovers on the night, including 17 steals for the Blue Devils on defense. The steals were often the catalyst for quick scores on the other end that allowed Duke to put the game out of reach in a hurry.
Although Alabama struggled with the full-court press, it faced even more issues in coping with the overpowering Blue Devils’ size down low. Duke scored the majority of its field goals in the paint and took advantage of its height by working the offense through post players Elizabeth Williams and Oderah Chidom. Williams and Chidom finished with 17 points apiece, on 7-of-10 and 7-of-9 shooting, respectively. Early in the season, the Blue Devils—who have the tallest team in the NCAA—have made quick work of their opponents by feeding the ball down low, rather than settling for outside shots.
“The overall effort was really good. Our focus was definitely there,” Williams said. “Our ability to get the ball inside early and to get stops defensively and hold them was overall a really good effort by our team.”
After the early blitz by Duke that spanned the first 18 minutes of the first half, the Crimson Tide settled into the game and put together a strong stretch of play to finish the period. Alabama was led by freshman guard Hannah Cook, who finished with 19 points on the night.
“I think we all tried to stay positive,” Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said. It certainly wasn’t a lack of desire or effort or want-to. You’ve got to learn from these experiences, and at the same time I was pleased with our character.”
Although the 50-point victory may suggest that the Blue Devils played flawless basketball, this was certainly not the case. Duke committed 21 turnovers of its own and failed to find its stroke from beyond the arc, shooting just 3-of-12 on the night. But, with a team relying on three new starters and new faces off the bench, early bumps in the road are to be expected for this young Blue Devil squad.
Of Duke’s four incoming freshman, 6-foot-5 forward Azurá Stevens had the strongest showing with her first double-double—notching 10 points and 10 rebounds—as a Blue Devil. The Raleigh, N.C., native has been lauded by head coach Joanne P. McCallie for her versatility and ability to play all five positions.
Redshirt freshman Rebecca Greenwell also turned in a solid performance with a double-double of her own—posting 17 points and 10 rebounds. Although Greenwell struggled from distance—where she has made her living in preseason exhibitions— the guard’s ability to impact the game in multiple ways is promising going forward in the season.
After its solid performance to open the season, Duke will next head to Norfolk, Va., to take on Old Dominion Thursday at 7 p.m.
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