Heels School Devils, 93-76

Chante Black

Chante's performance against UNC was very much a repeat of what happened against Tennessee. She started strong, using her quickness to baffle LaToya Pringle, but the two fouls she picked up in the first half once again really seemed to get out of rhythm after she picked up her second foul. Part of what may have played into that was Black just running out of steam because of her recent illness. The end result was that Pringle wound up dominating their matchup. After Chante scored 10 points in the first ten minutes of the game, she only scored 5 the rest of the way. More significantly, Black was held to just 5 rebounds, and even when she did get offensive rebounds, had trouble finishing. Whether she was still recovering from illness, out of rhythm or had trouble going up against an equally-long, rangy opponent, Black needed to have an above-average game if Duke was to win. Like many of her teammates, she didn't.

Joy Cheek

Joy's performance was baffling. After an early post-up basket, Larkins utterly dominated her at both ends. A big body like Joy who pulled down 14 rebounds against the Heels in Cameron last year somehow was shut out in that department in this game. Larkins is one of the best players in the country but Joy seemed entirely befuddled as to how to play her. As a result, Duke simply couldn't keep pace at the offensive end without one of their most usually reliable weapons rendered completely impotent.

Wanisha Smith

Nish kept on plugging, playing with the determination of a senior who was playing UNC for the final time at home, which showed in part with her 8 rebounds. Unfortunately, her 17 points were the very definition of playing with energy but not efficiency, as she coughed up the ball 5 times and shot 4-14 from the floor. The first half was a particular struggle, as Nish was just 1-7. In the second half, she got to the line and at times single-handedly kept Duke in the game. Some shots weren't just meant to be, like a three that was halfway down but then rimmed out. The matchup between Nish and McCants was pretty much a draw.

Abby Waner

Abby's struggles from long range continue (0-5 from three), but she continues to hang in there. A while ago, I noted that this Duke team would not achieve its potential if Abby had to play a lot of point guard, and that scenario has really come to pass in recent games. This is not to say that Abby isn't doing well as a ball distributor; quite the contrary, her assist/turnover ratio has been superb in ACC play. The problem, much like when Alana Beard played a lot of point, is that it becomes that much harder for her to get her own shot. I've rarely seen a player press so much when shooting; looking at her body language, she's hoping shots will go in instead of knowing that they'll splash down. Part of the problem is that no one is getting her the ball in the spots where she's most comfortable. When Duke's running, Waner still excels in finishing and finding her teammates, but in the halfcourt, she often looks tense and tries to force the issue. The best prescription, I think, is for Abby to stop worrying about threes, take a step or two inside the arc and get into a rhythm from 15-17' or so. Her first jumper was from that range, but she eschewed that shot later in the game and took increasingly risky and unlikely shots, much like a gambler in the red who desperately tries to win back their money. Abby needs to relax, take easier shots, and find a rhythm. Everything else about her game is excellent at the moment, though Duke could have done with her getting a few more rebounds. Her floor vision, defense, toughness and overall game are at a high level, and I'm convinced that her offense can still emerge.

Jasmine Thomas

As a playmaker, Jas actually had a solid game. She had 3 early assists to Black and scored on a drive, but really struggled from the floor otherwise. The bigger problem was her matchup with Cetera DeGraffenreid. Jasmine is used to being quicker than her opponents, and the fact that DeGraffenreid matched her step-for-step meant that Jasmine couldn't simply rely on her quickness to stop her. As a result, DeGraffenreid blew by her on multiple occasions. After she hit her first three, she had the confidence to take more--and all of those looks were wide-open. Coach P yanked her after several defensive lapses and replaced her with Jackson, which made the defense better but limited Duke offensively. This game was a great learning experience for Jasmine, as she learned that quickness is no substitute for proper defensive positioning.

Keturah Jackson

KJ was a nice spark off the bench in the first half, driving to the basket and getting fouled in the first half. She unfortunately missed the foul shot that would have given Duke the lead. KJ's effectiveness was also limited by her foul trouble, which was troublesome because Duke could have used a lockdown defender of some kind in the game. Speaking to the divide between defense and skill on the team, KJ was brought in to take a free throw for an injured Wanisha Smith despite the fact that she's an awful foul shooter, because Coach P didn't want to risk having a bad defender on the floor.

Carrem Gay

Carrem actually had a pretty solid game off the bench. With Cheek ineffective, Gay brought some much-needed offense at crucial junctures. That included a steal & runout and short jumper late in the first half, which brough Duke within 2, and a couple of scores early in the second half that kept Duke within shouting distance. She also played pretty feisty overall defense, forcing a jump ball. Duke needed more from her on the boards, as they did from nearly every player.

Krystal Thomas

After a nice showing against Virginia Tech, Krystal was ineffective against the Heels. Other than one basket on a cut, she was a step too slow to rebound against the Heels' tough frontline. Like Jasmine, this game was an education for her.

Bridgette Mitchell

Bridgette got limited minutes, but managed to grab a couple of offensive rebounds. Her defense is too inconsistent to get more minutes, but she certainly did her job when she played against the Heels.

Karima Christmas

Karima pulled down an impressive 3 offensive boards in just five minutes. Considering Duke's difficulties in this area, it would have been nice to let her play a bit more. While her offense is erratic, Duke needed someone to provide a spark on the boards and on defense--and she could have been that presence. It is, of course, hard to say what she could have done with more playing time; being a freshman in her first UNC game, it actually could have been ugly. However, considering how anemic Duke's defense looked throughout the game, Christmas could have helped.

Emily Waner

Brittany Mitch