There is no question the Blue Devils are hurting. Hurting without their sophomore point guard, Jasmine Thomas, who sprained her MCL over a week ago. Hurting without backup point guard Chelsea Hopkins, who just underwent surgery on her knee. Hurting without any true floor leader who has the ability to run the offense.
And Sunday, Duke's 30 turnovers were proof of just how deeply the injuries at the point are affecting the team.
Playing without a point guard is usually the kiss of death for teams. In their last contest against Iowa, Duke seemed capable of executing efficiently without a reliable point guard, committing a season-low eight turnovers. But three days later, the Blue Devils coughed the ball up enough in their 60-45 win against Michigan for a new season high. In a year already filled with unexpected surprises-including a loss to Hartford Nov. 21-Duke can only hope this game isn't an indication of where the team is headed.
"Any time you have 30 turnovers, it will never just be one of those games," senior Abby Waner said. "So you hope to never have one of those games ever again. We are hurting without [Thomas], and I think that's evident."
With Keturah Jackson moving over to point, the team has attempted to bandage its injury woes until Thomas returns, which could be in time for Duke's Dec. 16 matchup against No. 4 Stanford. And as if Duke wasn't suffering enough, Jackson left the game with 10 minutes remaining after sustaining a hip injury.
But the team just isn't quick enough to run the fast break without a facilitator. The Blue Devils aren't efficient enough to draw defenses in to open up the outside.
Even without Thomas or Hopkins, the Blue Devils' reliance on one thing carried them past Michigan's threat of an upset: senior leadership. Waner, center Chante Black and forward Carrem Gay each played more than 30 minutes Sunday. With Black dominating from the block, Waner waited on the wings, either to take the shot from behind the arc or split the defenses with one of her six assists. And after failing to break double digits since the first contest of the season, Gay scored 12 points in addition to her team-high nine rebounds.
"There was great leadership on the floor," head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "Abby played a whole lot of minutes out there. Carrem did some great things and really led us defensively. And I thought Te was rock solid and poised in what she was doing."
There was only so much the three seniors were able to accomplish on the court, though. Having the three seniors play so many minutes didn't come without a cost. The three recorded 15 combined turnovers, with Waner giving up eight.
"Eight turnovers is just absolutely ridiculous," Waner said. "I think its a matter of focus. On games like this where you feel like you're on the verge of getting a run, it's really easy to start being loose with the ball and wanting to make more things happen than what's actually there and playing sound basketball."
Luckily for Duke, conference play is still a month away, with the team set to face Miami Jan. 9. With no other choice, the Blue Devils can only bandage up their wounds and march through the rest of their schedule. Duke is hurting and there's no doubt about it. But the Blue Devils proved Sunday that their season is far from lost.
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