The Blue Devils gave it their all against a hungry Wolfpack squad, but Thursday's loss will best be remembered as a night full of notable numbers.
With Duke dropping a tight 65-62 decision to N.C. State Thursday night, one of Cameron Indoor Stadium’s most impressive streaks has vanished. The Blue Devils had played 152 consecutive home games against unranked opponents without losing, but the determined Wolfpack used tenacious defense and hot shooting to reset Duke’s record books. The Blue Devils are inexperienced, injured and now have been stripped of several lasting streaks.
“It’s a great motivator. It teaches us lessons on what’s important, what to focus on,” Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “We lost Amber [Henson] for a month, then Kendall [Cooper], now Lyneé [Belton], then Haley [Gorecki], and we’ve had to adjust a little bit…. The reality is that you've got to keep molding your team and growing—it’s not a static condition. It’s changed, it’s grown and our leadership has needed to grow—and it has—so it’s a process.”
But 152 was not the only number that disappeared Thursday. No. 22 Duke has been a perpetual fixation in the AP Poll for more than 16 years, but after the team’s third loss to an unranked opponent this season—and third defeat in its last four games—the Blue Devils will likely be without a numerical prefix for the first time since 1999 when the next poll is released early next week.
A significant streak was also shattered for the Wolfpack, who had failed to beat Duke at home for 20 years, but came away with a win despite history all but ensuring otherwise. Thanks to impressive performances from juniors Dominique Wilson, Ashley Williams and Jennifer Mathurin, who combined for 46 points, N.C. State erased a long-standing drought in Durham.
Duke also had the opportunity to correct the ending of one more impressive streak that was snapped after the team’s loss to Louisville Jan. 10. The Blue Devils had gone more than 15 years without holding a losing record in ACC competition, but ended that run after a 65-48 loss to the Cardinals left them 1-2 in conference play.
Once again, turnovers plagued the Blue Devils against the Wolfpack, leaving McCallie emphasizing the importance of taking care of the basketball. Duke committed 21 turnovers—their eighth game with 20 or more this season—that turned into 30 points for N.C. State. In comparison, the Blue Devils forced just 13 giveaways that yielded 11 points.
“There’s such a thing as looking at things [like a] good turnover, like a good opportunity you’re looking for, and then there’s turnovers that lack concentration. You watch film, you learn from film, sometimes you run sprints for turnovers [and] you have penalties,” McCallie said. “[The] bottom line is, though, I think the team has to hold each other more accountable, even in the game.”
Another one of Duke’s most significant problems can be explained by yet another number: 13. The Blue Devils have featured a program-record 13 players in their starting lineup this season, and though this highlights the versatility and depth of McCallie’s team, it has created some identity issues for the Blue Devils. Mixing and matching the rotations throughout the season has allowed McCallie to see different groupings of players together, but so far none have seemed to provide the desired continuity and familiarity for a young Blue Devil roster.
Despite the tough times for McCallie’s group, there were several promising performances in the team’s box score. Sophomore Azurá Stevens continued to take command in the post—leading all scorers with 21 points while posting her ACC-best 10th double-double of the season—and proved Thursday that she can be counted on to post impressive numbers, even when others are off their game.
Perhaps the biggest bright spot was the play of floor general Kyra Lambert, who booked an efficient 5-of-6 shooting performance while being a vocal communicator and clutch performer. When Duke needed a prayer to stay in contention in the final minute, Lambert drove to the basket for a quick lay-up, then nailed a clutch 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining.
“She offered so much tonight in leadership and attack mode,” McCallie said. “I was excited for Kyra—she helped our team a great deal, I think she can continue to build on this.... Kyra and Azurá were going after it in a way that we need to, and we're going to just pull some others along and get where everybody can be in that mode.”
Duke is just two ACC losses away from matching last season's total, and will need to improve quickly in order to maintain its perennial position near the top of the conference standings. The league season is still young, but McCallie's squad needs to take the lessons learned from its rough start and make the necessary adjustments before 2016 becomes a historic year for the wrong reasons.
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