Lexie Brown
The statline:
Friday vs. Syracuse: 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, five rebounds, four assists and four steals
Saturday vs. Miami: 20 points on 5-of-12 shooting, eight rebounds and four steals
Sunday vs. Notre Dame: 16 points on 3-of-11 shooting, 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, five turnovers and three assists
The good: As she has all season, Brown carried the bulk of the load on offense for Duke in the ACC tournament this weekend, leading Duke in scoring in all three games and shooting 42.9 percent from the field. With backcourt mate Rebecca Greenwell averaging just 8.7 points per game in the tournament, the Suwanee, Ga., native dominated from long range, connecting on 8-of-18 3-point attempts.
Brown also contributed defensively, holding Syracuse's ACC Player of the Year Alexis Peterson to her worst outing of the year with nine points on 4-of-21 shooting in the quarterfinals. Against the Orange, the All-ACC first-teamer hit a buzzer-beating trey to end the first quarter and helped spark a 9-0 run in the third quarter to help the Blue Devils pull away for good.
In the semifinals against Miami, Brown came up clutch, drilling an and-one jumper from the key with less than 40 seconds left to put the Blue Devils up by four, essentially putting the game away and sending Duke to face Notre Dame in the championship game.
Against the Fighting Irish Sunday, Brown led the charge in the first half, scoring all 16 of her points to keep the Blue Devils afloat despite struggling on defense. Her presence also contributed to a quick 10-point burst out of the halftime gates, but it wasn't enough to topple the Irish.
The bad: Although she excelled shooting the rock, Brown was also a big part of some of Duke’s offensive miscues against Miami and Notre Dame, posting a team-worst five turnovers in both contests. The Blue Devils’ turnover woes didn’t come back to hurt them against Miami, but they were devastating against the Fighting Irish, who took advantage with 26 points off 17 turnovers.
Additionally, Brown couldn’t find the ice that pulsed in her veins against Miami in the second half against Notre Dame, failing to score for the entire final 20 minutes.
The bottom line: Brown has proven that she can help carry Duke against top-of-the-line opponents, something that will certainly lift the Blue Devils in the NCAA tournament. Her ability to make plays on defense and shoot efficiently figure to help in March, a time in which teams that shoot well from beyond the arc and play sound defense tend to excel.
But Brown will need more support from her teammates if Duke wants to make a serious run in the NCAA tournament—fellow first-team All-ACC selection Greenwell will need to rediscover her late season scoring form alongside Brown. Additionally, Brown and Duke will need to be cleaner with the basketball in order to string together a few big wins and make a run at the Final Four—they turned the ball over at least 17 times in every game of the tournament.
Honorable mention: Although few Blue Devils were consistent behind Brown this weekend, senior forward Kendall Cooper anchored Duke in the post despite playing limited minutes. Cooper excelled versus the Orange, two rebounds shy of a double-double while scoring 12 points. In the remaining two games, Cooper wasn't as effective, scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds combined, but did notch three blocks.
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Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.