FAIRFAX, Va. - After a first-half in which Duke's pressing defense struggled to establish its trademark transition game, the Blue Devils once again received key boosts from freshman phenoms Alana Beard and Iciss Tillis.
The duo's outstanding defense paced much of Duke's second-half explosion, as the two repeatedly trapped a slower George Mason squad and connected on several fast breaks.
"Both picked up their level of intensity on the defensive end of the floor," Goestenkors said. "[That] led to a lot of easy layups."
On an afternoon when her perimeter shot was uneven, Beard seemed to excel everywhere else. The freshman showed her ability to finish underneath the basket against bigger defenders and did a good deal of ball-handling as well.
Her Duke-leading 20-point performance impressed George Mason's coach Debbie Taneyhill.
"She's pretty good," the coach said. "She can do everything... [and] her first step is hard to beat."
Yet it was her defensive versatility that stuck out as the Blue Devils began to run up the score on the Patriots. Beard recognized this after the game, and emphasized the importance of her and Tillis' effort on the other side of the floor.
"My main part on the team is to set the tempo defensively," said Beard. "Defense is the main key to our offense."
After an up and down beginning, Tillis turned up her defensive intensity as well, using her 6-foot-4 frame to stifle George Mason's passing.
"Iciss did better in the second half," Goestenkors said. "I knew she was upset at how she was playing. When she gets into an uptempo game she is much more effective."
The coach's decision to switch defenses after the break from man-to-man to a match-up zone seemed successful at forcing this higher tempo and allowing Beard and Tillis to stand out.
Beard struggled in the first half to contain the Patriots' senior leader Jen Surlas, who racked up an astonishing 21 points against her on 8-for-11 shooting in the first 20 minutes.
The change to the zone, however, let the freshman pay less attention to Surlas, who had just two shot attempts in the second half and was pressured by Tillis into an important turnover during Duke's run.
After committing a pair of turnovers and fouls before the break, Tillis was able to trap more often, as her quickness and long arms proved too much for a rattled George Mason team.
Senior Georgia Schweitzer, who also had a strong second half, lauded the freshmen's play.
"I was very impressed with their defense," Schweitzer said. "They came up with a lot of steals. They're very offensive-minded [as well] and they are very aggressive."
As the senior hinted at, Beard and Tillis established their offense through their defense, executing in transition to push the game well out of reach midway through the second period.
The difference was certainly felt by George Mason, as Surlas commented on the Blue Devils' explosiveness.
"We knew they would come harder in the first five minutes of the second half," said Surlas, who noted that they still were surprised by the defensive intensity. "It shocked us a little bit."
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