The women's basketball team looks to continue its balanced scoring attack against Wake Forest Thursday night. The Blue Devils, coming off a 40-point annihilation of Georgia Tech Saturday, will host the Demon Deacons at 7 p.m.
Duke beat the Yellow Jackets Saturday with double-digit scoring from four players. Forward Monique Currie and the Blue Devils believe that Thursday's contest will go just as smoothly.
"Since the Florida State game, we've just wanted to come out with a lot more intensity and a lot more enthusiasm," Currie said. "We have that mindset that good things will happen in the game; Wake Forest will bring a perimeter-oriented offense into Cameron."
The Demon Deacons features a long-range offensive style, as five players have attempted over 35 treys on the year.
"Our guards have to step up," Duke guard Lindsey Harding said. "We can't let them penetrate because they get a lot off of their penetration, and they have a couple of shooters. They also run the floor a lot."
Shooter Elizabeth Strunk leads the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game. The former Ms. Basketball in Tennessee also shoots the trifecta at 40 percent.
"She is such a versatile player," assistant coach Georgia Schweitzer said. "She can shoot the three, she can post you up, and she can take you to the basket. She is a match-up problem for anybody."
Cotelia Bond-Young runs the show for Wake Forest. The sophomore point guard leads her team in assists (3.5) and is second in the team behind Strunk in points per game (11.5). The Demon Deacons are coming off a 17-point defeat at the hands of Maryland.
Duke will look to take advantage of the Demon Deacon interior defense, especially with the return of Iciss Tillis. Tillis suffered a concussion against Clemson February 2nd, forcing her to miss two games, including the team's first conference loss against Florida State.
That loss irked the Blue Devils going into the Georgia Tech game.
Consequently Duke emphasized defense, and held the Yellow Jackets to a mere 41 points.
"Our main goal is to always score off of our defense," Harding said.
Tillis returns at an opportune time. The last time she faced Wake Forest, she poured in 17 points, 15 in the first half. She shot 6-for-11 from the field. Also, the Blue Devils will be without forward Brittany Hunter tonight. The freshman has been hampered by an injured knee since she tore her ACL during the season-opener against Texas.
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