With the end of 2015 quickly approaching, The Chronicle's sports department takes a look back at the biggest sports stories of the year. Each day, The Blue Zone will review a major game, event or storyline that helped shape the course of the year in Blue Devil athletics.
Coming in at No. 10 on our list: A wild opener to the women's basketball NCAA tournament in Durham, and the illustrious career that concluded a week later.
In 2014, the third-seeded Duke men suffered a stunning upset at the hands of 14th-seeded Mercer in the NCAA tournament's Round of 64.
Fast forward to March 2015, and No. 13 seed Albany had a similar eye-catching win in mind. But Rebecca Greenwell saved the day for the Blue Devils.
Playing within the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium, the fourth-seeded Blue Devils trailed by two with just 17 seconds remaining in the Round of 64 when senior Ka'lia Johnson found Greenwell coming off a screen on the right wing. The sharpshooter got her feet set and launched from deep to hit her sixth 3-pointer of the contest and give Duke a 53-52 lead.
The Great Danes missed a pair of potential game-winning attempts on the other hand and the Blue Devils emerged with a hard-fought home victory, avoiding disaster and a second consecutive first-weekend tournament exit.
Duke followed its narrow escape with a 64-56 win against No. 5 seed Mississippi State to move to the Sweet 16, where they were ousted by top-seeded Maryland in Spokane, Wash.
Greenwell's 3-pointer seemed to mark the transition from veterans like Johnson and All-American center Elizabeth Williams to young stars in Greenwell and versatile forward Azurá Stevens. Although Williams' career came to an end earlier than she would have liked, the Virginia Beach, Va., native became the first ACC player ever to earn four straight All-American honors and was selected fourth overall in the 2015 WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun.
Without the veteran presence of Williams down low, the Blue Devils sport a 9-3 record so far this season with the start of ACC play right around the corner. In her place, Stevens has emerged as a nightly double-double threat, and head coach Joanne P. McCallie reeled in the nation's top-ranked recruiting class, providing Duke with much-needed depth on the perimeter.
READ MORE on Greenwell's shot and the end of Williams' Duke career:
Greenwell's late 3-pointer sends Duke women's basketball into Round of 32
Greenwell saves day for Duke women's basketball despite 27 Blue Devil turnovers
Stevens' double-double sends Duke women's basketball to Sweet 16
Maryland knocks Duke women's basketball out of NCAA tournament
Elizabeth Williams selected fourth overall in WNBA draft
Stevens set to fill Williams' shoes as Duke women's basketball's next star post
Check back tomorrow to see what comes in at No. 9 in our countdown of the top Duke sports stories of 2015.
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