The Nutshell:
The key to this game was that Duke played as a team and forced the
defending
national champions to play as individuals. Talented as they were, the
Terps
couldn't stop a disciplined and focused Duke offense one-on-one. Duke's
game
plan, as always, was to see what the defense would give them and exploit
that
to the utmost. Against the Blue Devils, Maryland was willing to guard
Lindsey
Harding and Alison Bales one-on-one for almost the entire game. The
result was
a career-high 28 points for Harding (mostly off the dribble) and a near
triple-double for Bales. Coach G noted that every player, 1 through 8,
contributed something in the game. Duke's ability to share the ball, set
crisp
screens and constantly attack a backpedaling Maryland defense was what
made the
difference. Coach G noted that she didn't care about the score at any
given
moment, but rather wanted her team to stay "aggressive & attacking" the
entire
time. This win ends Maryland's 24 game winning streak dating back to last
season and may well vault Duke to #1. Maryland coach Brenda Frese said
that
her team was "outworked, outhustled and outcoached", but her team is
extremely
talented and will get up off the mat. Still, the fact that Duke won round
one
has to bolster the confidence of a team that's still very young at key
positions.
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