WBB - Duke 67, Virginia 52 2/4/2016

[DU82]

Game time! Azura not playing tonight. Foot injury (what else for a Duke post player.)

[burnspbesq]

Greenie and Angela lead the Hoos by two at the half.

Duke's other players have chipped in with 15.

[chrishoke]

67-52 win w/out our star player - very solid win.

[devildeac]

Simply perusing the stats, it appears we played very good D, shot well for 2s and 3s, dominated the glass and had an impressive 8 blocks. Superb games from Salvadores and Greenwell.


(I wonder if anyone will notice the 25 TO:o.)

[DU82]

67-52 win w/out our star player - very solid win.

After a slow start (12-5 UVA) we went on a 15-0 run to end the first quarter. We then dominated the second. In the second half, we were sloppy and careless with both shots and the ball. Defense was OK, although Virginia's leading player kept getting off shots. Some were good, tough shots, some were a little too open. While they cut it to six a couple of times, key shots, mostly by Rebecca and Angela, got it back to nine or more.

Besides those two (who still have too many turnovers), I thought Erin and Kyra played very well. Amber was good, especially on defense. Oderah was her usual (of late) good Oderah and bad Oderah. But her rebounding at least is consistent.

[Stray Gator]

Simply perusing the stats, it appears we played very good D, shot well for 2s and 3s, dominated the glass and had an impressive 8 blocks. Superb games from Salvadores and Greenwell.


(I wonder if anyone will notice the 25 TO:o.)

The first half performance was terrific, ending with Duke leading comfortably by 17. Unfortunately, the first four minutes of the third quarter were not so good -- Duke made four quick turnovers and Virginia heated up from the floor, resulting in an 11-2 run that cut Duke's lead to 8. But the team steadied itself, gradually managed to push the lead back out to 12, and played well enough in the fourth quarter to end up with the 15-point win -- compensating for the turnover deficit of 25-13 and the steals deficit of 13-7 by outrebounding Virginia 44-22. Aside from owning the boards, Duke benefited from the fact that Greenwell and Salvadores combined for a sizzling 7-9 from behind the arc. In the last three games, including the Notre Dame loss, it appears to me that this team is playing more cohesively and smarter as a unit at both ends, and in particular is doing a better job of running the offense to find open players for better shots. Congrats to the players and coaches -- here's hoping for continued progress and positive results.

[aswewere]

Becca release is so quick now when she catches the ball, it makes you think of JJ . It's as quick and beautiful as I have seen from any of our women players ever.

[aswewere]

Becca release is so quick now when she catches the ball, it makes you think of JJ . It's as quick and beautiful as I have seen from any of our women players ever.

Box http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=400842508

[burnspbesq]

The first half performance was terrific, ending with Duke leading comfortably by 17. Unfortunately, the first four minutes of the third quarter were not so good -- Duke made four quick turnovers and Virginia heated up from the floor, resulting in an 11-2 run that cut Duke's lead to 8. But the team steadied itself, gradually managed to push the lead back out to 12, and played well enough in the fourth quarter to end up with the 15-point win -- compensating for the turnover deficit of 25-13 and the steals deficit of 13-7 by outrebounding Virginia 44-22. Aside from owning the boards, Duke benefited from the fact that Greenwell and Salvadores combined for a sizzling 7-9 from behind the arc. In the last three games, including the Notre Dame loss, it appears to me that this team is playing more cohesively and smarter as a unit at both ends, and in particular is doing a better job of running the offense to find open players for better shots. Congrats to the players and coaches -- here's hoping for continued progress and positive results.

I can live with Salvadores' turnovers; her game is inherently high-risk, high-reward, and I don't want to put her on a short leash. Two possessions in a row in the second quarter are a perfect illustration of this. On the first, she guessed that Mathias was going to roll to the basket, and when Mathias hesitated the defender beat her to the spot and made the interception. If Mathias rolls immediately, it's a perfect pass for a layup. On the second, she guessed right on the angle that Henson was going to take, and the result was a sweet pass that Henson converted easily. Salvadores also has a sense of the moment; the crossover/step-back three to end the first half was a player's play.

[jimsumner]

Stevens injured her left plantar fasciitis early in the Notre Dame game. She's described as day-to-day (yes, I know, aren't we all?) but I would be surprised to see her play this Sunday at Miami.

Duke started a funky lineup, Henson, Chidom, Mathias, Greenwell and Lambert, with Salvadores on the bench. I guarantee you Duke hasn't played or practiced with this lineup much, if at all, and I suspect that contributed to the turnover total. Starting three post players helped with the rebounding differential and UVA's inability to generate any interior offense.

But having three players with limited shooting, passing and dribbling abilities on the floor at the same time seems like one too many to me. McCallie must have agreed, because she started Salvadores in the second half.

Duke did lots of things well, starting with rebounds. Duke had 13 offensive rebounds, Virginia 13 defensive rebounds. 50/50 on Duke misses.

Henson had four blocks, Chidom two blocks and four steals.

And Salvadores and Greenwell were lights out from the field, a combined 17-25. Greenwell had a dozen boards, her first double-digit rebounding effort of the season.

But the turnovers continue to compromise this team's ceiling. Twenty-five is just too many and Greenwell (6) and Salvadores (7) accounted for more than half. Chidom (3) and Henson (4) added seven more and neither of them handle the ball all that much.

Kyra Lambert was a welcome deviation from this trend, 32 minutes, four assists, one turnover. But only two points.

It may seem like I'm harping on this one thing. But just because you can beat a WNIT team with 25 turnovers doesn't mean you can beat better teams with 25 turnovers. Duke has to get this under control and every time they take a step forward, they seem to take a step back.

Some thoughts on Joanne Boyle, who is one of ours. She is missing her best player, guard Faith Randolph, out with a hand injury. She should be back later this month. She only played seven players and the five starters accounted for 179 of the 200 minutes. And she doesn't have much size, as witness the stats from tonight.

No size, no depth, no good.

Boyle is one of the nicest people on the planet and she has a couple of years left on her contract. But I confess I'm both surprised and disappointed to see her having so much trouble getting this program back into the top tier of the ACC. Hopefully, Randolph's return will jumpstart her team.

[aswewere]

DWHOOPS write up. http://www.dwhoops.com/1516/1602041-duke-67-virginia-52.php