The independent news organization of Duke University
In a match requiring determination down the stretch, the 10th-seeded Blue Devils overcame a 16-point deficit in the final 25 minutes to take down 15th-seeded Pittsburgh 55-52 Wednesday afternoon.
Exciting news broke Tuesday morning for Duke fans, whose phenom freshman guard Shayeann Day-Wilson was named ACC Rookie of the Year.
It’s finally tournament time in the ACC, as Duke women’s basketball makes the short trip to the Greensboro Coliseum in to take on Pittsburgh in the first round. Here are five things to know before the Blue Devils, at long last, return to the postseason slate.
After the Blue Devils won the opening tip and got on the board first with a 3-pointer from Celeste Taylor, it seemed like they could get revenge from their last meeting and strengthen their case for the NCAA tournament with a win against No. 18 North Carolina. However, that would be the last time Duke led.
With a healthy Duke lineup that featured junior guard Celeste Taylor back on the court and head coach Kara Lawson on the sidelines, the respective star power and leadership that was missing back on Jan. 27’s loss was filled.
After yet another taste of defeat in Thursday’s clash with Boston College, the Blue Devils return for one final regular-season outing at the Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina.
Allowing the Eagles to fly into their offensive zone however they pleased made defending them once they got there harder, and that difficulty resulted in more open looks for them and more fouls delivered by the Blue Devils.
A fourth-quarter comeback attempt brought Duke the closest it had been to overtaking Boston College since the game’s opening minutes, but it ultimately failed to do so despite its spirited efforts to give the seniors on the team a victorious last outing at home.
The catalyst this game was sophomore point guard Vanessa de Jesus, who tied her career-high of eight assists.
The optimism was unbridled after Duke upset No. 9 Iowa more than three months ago. After losing Thursday night to Virginia, the Blue Devils are 2-6 since Jan. 24.
The game was far more contentious for the Blue Devils than most would have expected prior to the whistle; struggles on rebounding, wastefulness on the shot and a concerning number of turnovers punctuated a difficult evening for Duke and blatantly illustrated what needs to change if it wants to rediscover its impressive early season form.
Duke will travel to Virginia’s home base at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va., with tip set for 7 p.m. Thursday.
Combo forward Lexi Gordon led the Blue Devils with 13 points on a 4-of-11 clip from the field and 3-of-8 from three without a turnover; point guard Shayeann Day-Wilson had 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting, two rebounds, three assists and three steals against two turnovers.
When point guard Shayeann Day-Wilson popped open in the corner and fired up a perfect rainbow to the rim, it looked like the Blue Devils had found a miracle.
With both Duke and Florida State entering Thursday’s contest at Cameron Indoor Stadium off the back of necessary wins, the stakes are high for whose momentum will continue and whose will falter once again this season.
Day-Wilson finished the game with 22 points, her third 20-point game this season...“I think she’s the best freshman in the conference,” said head coach Kara Lawson.
“I think it’s just who we are as a team, we are going to compete with you no matter what, no matter how much we’re up, we’re going to make sure you feel us,” said combo forward Lexi Gordon.
“Our goal is to get back onto a win streak. So our win streak now is one and our goal is to continue it and make it grow,” Gordon said.
After two consecutive wins against Miami and Virginia, the Blue Devils have endured a difficult three-game skid, losing by double digits to North Carolina, Louisville and Georgia Tech.
The gravity of Taylor’s absence is immediately apparent with one simple glance at the stat sheet.