Rebecca Greenwell
The statline
Monday vs. Notre Dame: 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, nine rebounds, two assists and one block.
Thursday vs. Virginia: 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting, 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block.
Sunday vs. Miami: 16 points on 4-of-14 shooting, seven rebounds, one assist and two steals.
The good: Greenwell stepped into the spotlight and had a big week with star forward Azurá Stevens missing the last two games of the week after tearing her plantar fascia during the loss against Notre Dame. The redshirt sophomore led Duke in scoring in the first two games of the week and supplemented junior Oderah Chidom’s 18-point performance against Miami. Greenwell also led the Blue Devils on the boards in all three games this week, posting her first double-double of the season Thursday night against Virginia.
The Owensboro, Ky., native was very efficient from the perimeter early in the week, combining to shoot 7-of-12 from downtown against the Fighting Irish and the Cavaliers. Greenwell also hustled for numerous loose balls and even opened up a cut on her right shoulder after diving into the scorers’ table Monday night.
The bad: Greenwell was terrible in the first half against Miami, and the rest of the Duke team was not any better in one of the worst offensive halves in program history. She shot 0-of-8 from the field before the break, failing to convert on several point blank looks in the paint as the Blue Devils missed an astounding 24 straight shots from the field and went scoreless for 11:37 of game time. Greenwell heated up in the second half to score 15 of her 16 points and help Duke make the game interesting, but it was too little too late to come away with a win in a hostile road environment.
The 6-foot-1 shooting guard also struggled to control the ball at times, committing 11 turnovers in the week’s three games. She coughed up the ball six times against Virginia—the only blemish on her career night—and the Blue Devils finished the contest with 25 giveaways.
The bottom line: Greenwell is the second-best player on the team behind Stevens, and Duke relied heavily on her while its leading scorer was forced to watch from the bench. She handled the increased burden very well, but it was still not good enough to carry the Blue Devils to a signature win as they finished the week just 1-2. Another stiff test awaits at home Thursday against No. 10 Florida State, and Greenwell will have to take her game to yet another level to get a win if Stevens remains sidelined.
Honorable mention: Chidom and freshman Angela Salvadores each had a good game this week against Miami and Virginia, respectively, but Duke’s most consistent performer behind Greenwell was graduate student Amber Henson. The 6-foot-4 center had nine points Monday night, eight points Thursday, and added nine more Sunday afternoon, combining to shoot 11-of-24 from the field this week. Henson was also a formidable presence on the defensive end throughout the week, tallying 10 blocks and five steals during the three games. Her veteran leadership on defense helped the Blue Devils hold all three of their opponents to fewer than 70 points.
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