Game Commentary

With 16:01 left in the second half Alana Beard, who finished with 23 points, wove steadily by four stiff Georgia Tech defenders with a reverse underhand layup to bring the Blue Devils within two points of doubling the Yellow Jacket's total score. Less than a minute later, Iciss Tillis, who finished with 14, hit a three to bring the score to 51-25 to permanently take Georgia Tech out of play. For the rest of the game, Duke would enjoy a lead of no less than 23 points.

The Beard and Tillis duet is not anything new. The combination of total points scored by the pair at any moment in the first half usually exceeded the offensive efforts of the entire Georgia Tech team. But what goes unnoticed under the grandeur of Beard and Tillis' offensive dominance, is the increasingly impenetrable defense that kicks out the fast breaks and held the Yellow Jackets to 25 percent shooting in the second half. The Blue Devils' defense forced a total of 19 turnovers, including grabbing 12 steals.

"One of the main focuses for the past two weeks was the intensity of our defense, getting in the passing lanes, getting some tips and steals, especially working on our help defense," senior Sheana Mosch said. "I would say that the greater intensity has been one of the key attributes as to why our defense has been successful lately."

One of Duke's greatest defensive challenges entering the contest with Georgia Tech was the Yellow Jackets' 6-foot-5 center, Sonja Mallory, who has led Georgia Tech to four wins out of its last five contests. Mallory has been averaging 17.7 points per game and found herself completely stifled the entire game. Guarded heavily by a tough double team of Tillis and Michele Matyasovsky and smothered with a third defender if a pass made it inside - which it rarely did - Mallory remained scoreless for the first 10 minutes of the first half, by which time she had accumulated a pair of fouls.

"I thought we set the tone with our defense," head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "[Mallory] is an excellent post player, and I thought we did a really good job double-teaming her and shading her. We got some quick steals because they were trying to get the ball in to her and steals led to transition baskets for us."

So while Beard and Tillis provide enough manpower to bury opponents, the team's offense is largely dependent on the defense's creating opportunities. Proof of this was clear in the stretches where Beard and Tillis were given a rest, and the second string was able to maintain, and often build on, Duke's lead. Every Blue Devil ended the game in the scoring column. Mosch came off the bench to score a total of eight points, including a fast break with 8:34 left in the first half where she faked a one-handed pass, rolled the ball back and made a layup, drawing a foul and turning it into a three-point play.

If Duke continues to play consistent and intense defense, it can roll through the rest of the ACC. In each of the three contests following the UConn game, Duke has kept its opponent below 50 points. The Blue Devils' defense has become so good that the team may not have to continually rely on "the duet" as as it did in the first half of the season.