Angela Salvadores
The statline
Thursday vs. Florida State: 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds, two steals and one assist.
Sunday vs. Wake Forest: 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, six assists, one rebound and one steal.
The good: In a rough week for Duke, Salvadores was the lone bright spot as the Blue Devils struggle to weather the storm without star forward Azurá Stevens. The Leon, Spain, native has seemed to reverse her early-season turnover trouble with only two turnovers this week compared to her seven assists. Since being inserted back into the starting lineup following a return from a sprained ankle, Salvadores has hit her stride and was the only consistent offensive threat for Duke in an offensively-challenged week.
The freshman guard has unseated fellow freshman Kyra Lambert as the starting point guard, and has been able to create with the ball in her hands. Without a de facto offensive threat with Stevens sidelined, Salvadores has been instant offense for a Blue Devil team that sorely needed it, and her play kept Duke in both games.
The bad: Salvadores has still struggled mightly on the defensive end, as she was torched by the Seminole guards and Deamon Deacon Amber Campbell, who led Wake Forest with 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Whether Duke is playing man-to-man or the matchup zone, Salvadores still looks lost, and her foot speed is not quick enough to make up for the gaffes.
As a result, Salvadores found herself mired in foul trouble against the Demon Deacons in the Blue Devils’ 64-58 loss. Despite being the main distributor and creator for Duke’s offense, Salvadores was forced to watch on the sidelines in the fourth quarter of a close game.
The bottom line: In an otherwise bleak weak, Salvadores was able to provide hope for when Stevens returns from her day-to-day injury. If she can provide consistent scoring and distributing without turning over the ball, Duke will be in a favorable position come the NCAA tournament.
Honorable mention: Forwards Oderah Chidom and Amber Henson played well in different games and for different reasons. Chidom had one of her better offensive showings of the season against Wake Forest—scoring a career-high 18 points and grabbing six rebounds, but Chidom fouled out after 18 minutes against the Seminoles. Henson has established a presence in the post on defense but was not very efficient offensively, as she shot 6-of-16 this week.
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