Azurá Stevens
The stat line:
Wednesday vs. Texas A&M: 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 turnovers
Sunday vs. Army: 32 points on 14-of-18 shooting, 14 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block.
The good: Stevens had double-doubles in both games this weekend, and was either first or second in scoring for the Blue Devils. The sophomore forward poured in a career-high 32 points Sunday against Army, with 17 of those 32 coming in the second half after Duke trailed by three at halftime. Stevens' outburst marked the first since 30-plus point performance by a Blue Devil since Elizabeth Williams scored 33 in a win against North Carolina Jan. 25 in Chapel Hill.
The Raleigh, N.C., native also was a major factor on defense, with two steals, five blocks and 30 rebounds during the two games this week. Her 16 rebounds Sunday helped Duke out-rebound the Black Knights 40-30 and create 16 second-chance points.
The bad: At times, Stevens looked unstoppable, making 78 percent of her shots Sunday against Army. But at other times, including Wednesday's 33 precent shooting, Stevens had trouble dealing with the length of the Aggie defenders. Her inconsistency manifested itself in other categories besides scoring–against Texas A&M, Stevens committed just one foul, but had four against Army.
The bottom line: No matter the situation, the ball is going to go through Stevens’ hands. She is the leader of the team, and if Duke needs a big bucket, head coach Joanne P. McCallie will go to the sophomore.
Honorable mention: Rebecca Greenwell led the team in scoring Wednesday with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 2-of2 from beyond the arc. But the redshirt sophomore was inefficient Sunday, shooting 4-of-13 for 13 points in the win against Army. Greenwell added 10 total rebounds this week to help start possessions and get second chance opportunities. The guard missed her first free throw of the season, and is now 14-of-15.
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