The Nutshell
Ultimately, the lasting image from Duke's season-ending loss to Rutgers
won't be Lindsey Harding's heartbreaking misses at the foul line. While
this was a cruel way to lose a game, it must be noted that she made an
amazing play on a steal of an inbounds pass to even get Duke to the point
where they could win the game.
The image that will stay with me is that
of her team rushing over to her when she missed the second shot.
They lifted her off the court and surrounded her,
comforting their senior leader in a giant group hug. Lindsey has been a
mentor and "mini-mom" to her entire team, and the fact that the team came
to her when she needed it the most spoke volumes about how this team was
greater than the sum of its parts.
As to the game, Duke had three different kinds of breakdowns. In the
first half, it was a failure to block out and giving Rutgers too many
extra looks at the basket. In the second half, Duke's inability to handle
the press led to too many easy baskets for the Scarlet Knights; for the
game, Rutgers had a 16-4 edge in points off turnovers. The last problem
was Duke's difficulty stopping Rutgers' penetration late in the game.
Matee Ajavon either went all the way to the basket or else dished to an
open Heather Zurich for jumpers. On Duke's part, they did a great job of
attacking the basket, with Alison Bales & Carrem Gay combining for 31 of
Duke's 52 points. Rutgers neutralized Duke's guard play that had
dominated so many opponents this season, and that's why they're moving on
to the Elite Eight. They managed to force Duke into playing one-on-one
and short-circuited their communication, effectively nullifying two of
their greatest strengths.
On a side note, now that Duke's season is done, mainstream media
speculation about Coach G and the Texas job is reaching a fever pitch.
Anyone who's followed Duke Women's Basketball knows that Gail built a
powerhouse from nothing, and would hate to see her depart. Those
interested in expressing their support and gratitude for Gail to the Duke
administration might consider promptly writing polite but emphatic
messages to President Richard Brodhead, who can be reached at president@duke.edu.
We have enjoyed covering this outstanding Duke basketball season, and
look forward to providing new content throughout the off-season. That
content will begin with a season wrapup, to be written sometime in April.
We've also received many inquiries about purchasing photos, and we're
working on that, too. So please don't be a stranger in the coming
months!
| 
