KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With 1:41 remaining and Duke and Tennessee knotted at 53, Monique Currie took over the game. Currie, who had played at a subpar level to that point, scored the Blue Devils’ final six points in a 59-57 upset victory Thursday.
On three consecutive possessions, Currie exploited the Lady Vols’ matchup-zone defense, driving into the lane and finding herself unguarded less than 13 feet from the basket. Twice she made a strong move toward the basket, making a layup and drawing the foul, and on the third drive, she pulled up for a 10-foot jumper.
“The score was close, and we wanted to move the ball around,” Currie said of the final stretch. “We were looking to attack and the lane was just wide open.”
The No. 10 Blue Devils (7-1) beat their third top-25 team of the season, and the fourth-ranked Lady Vols (4-2) have lost twice in their last three games after starting the season at No. 1. Tennessee made just 28 percent of its shots and lost for only the seventh time in 17 years at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Lady Vols had a chance to tie it up in the final moments. Following a Mistie Williams missed free throw, the Lady Vols quickly drove the ball down the court, and Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt elected to take a timeout with seven seconds to go. The inbounds play went to junior Shanna Zolman, who forced up a strongly contested shot that missed the mark and secured the Duke triumph.
“I think it is a great win,” sophomore center Alison Bales said. “Both our teams are trying to figure out who we are this year. We’ve changed a lot, and I think this builds our confidence.”
Currie may have been hot in the end, but it was Jessica Foley who lifted the Blue Devils with 12 minutes remaining and Tennessee ready to break the game open. Foley—who hit a dramatic three at the buzzer as Duke beat Connecticut in Hartford last season—hit a pair of shots from behind the arc in just 44 seconds. The Blue Devils were down 36-31 before the threes.
“It got us a little bit excited, and I think it got everyone else into the flow,” Foley said.
Duke’s post players outplayed their counterparts throughout the contest, capitalizing on a decisive advantage in both height and size. The Blue Devils outscored the Lady Vols in the paint by a 22-point margin. Duke also outrebounded Tennessee 53-42, outblocked its opponent 11-3 and put tremendous pressure on the smaller Lady Vols.
“Their post game and our post game are light years apart,” Summitt said.
Currie scored 20 points on the night, 16 of which came in the second half. Mistie Williams was the Blue Devils’ most consistent offensive player, scoring 14 points and grabbing six offensive rebounds in 33 minutes.
Wanisha Smith played a solid game as well, although she struggled with turnovers early. The point guard, who dished out eight assists, ran a Duke offense that settled into a steady rhythm during the final 10 minutes of the game after the two Foley threes.
Bales played a key role in the victory on both ends of the floor. Defensively she made Tennessee force up numerous awkward shots, using her 6-foot-7 frame to take away any good looks at the basket. Summitt said Bales was particularly effective passing from the high post on the other end of the court.
“We’ve got a nice rotation with four players in the post that all do something different,” Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors said. “I am really proud of the team, we battled for 40 minutes.”
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