After losing 75-60 to North Carolina Monday, No. 4 Duke knows what parts of its game need to improve before Friday's 8:30 p.m. matchup against Clemson in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils (19-3, 7-2 in the ACC) allowed 23 rebounds to Tar Heel forward Jessica Breland and finished with 16 fewer boards than their rival in a game that the Tar Heels dominated after halftime-something Duke can't afford to happen against the Lady Tigers (13-12, 2-8).
"We need to rebound," Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "I'd like plus-15 or more. We've got to rebound hard."
Clemson has started 10 different players this season, but after Duke's rebounding woes earlier in the week, junior forward Joy Cheek is watching out for one Lady Tiger in particular.
"Clemson has a guard, Lele Hardy, who is one of the best rebounders in the ACC, so we really have to rebound," Cheek said. "We can't get outrebounded again."
Although Cheek said the team hasn't held an official practice since Monday, she didn't think the mistakes were due to a discrepancy in skill between the two teams.
"It's all about the desire," she said. "We just have to have the attitude. It's not as much about the technique, you just have to get out there and grab the ball."
McCallie wasn't pleased with her team's effort in the second half in Chapel Hill. Fortunately for the Blue Devils, Clemson certainly isn't of the same caliber as the Tar Heels.
Still, that won't change the coach's expectations.
"You want the whole game," said McCallie, whose team sits in second place in the ACC behind Florida State. "You need a 40-minute effort. Defense is a great equalizer in games, but you want the offense to prosper as well, whether it's in transition or execution, minimizing turnovers and really just doing a good job sharing the basketball."
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