Coming off two dominating performances last week against Western Kentucky and Marquette in the Caribbean Challenge, No. 11 Duke faces one of its toughest tests Thursday in No. 3 Ohio State (8-0). The 7:00 p.m. game in Cameron Indoor Stadium provides the Blue Devils the opportunity to prove their worth against the best of the Big Ten as part of the third annual women’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
In order to extend its 17-game home-court winning streak, Duke will need to continue its tremendous defensive effort of late, which has limited the Blue Devils’ last four opponents to an average of 44 points.
“We defended like we were playing for the world championship,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said about the Caribbean Challenge. “We were Tasmanian devils for 80 minutes. Our kids were just all over the place.”
The Blue Devils, however, face a formidable opponent in All-American and reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Jantel Lavender, who currently averages 24.3 points and 9.4 rebounds a game. At 6-foot-4, Lavender possesses size and versatility.
“She just catches, turns and shoots and is not a stereotypical post player because of her nice range and confidence as a shooter,” McCallie said. “You just have to scrap as a team against an offensive player like that.”
On top of Lavender, Duke (5-1) must contend with Samantha Prahalis, last year’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the facilitator of the Buckeyes’ offense, who currently dishes out 10 assists per game for the second-highest average in the nation.
Despite the confidence in its defense, Duke must continue to improve its rebounding of the basketball on both the defensive and offensive ends.
Much of the increased efforts on the boards could fall upon junior center Krystal Thomas, senior forward Joy Cheek and freshman Allison Vernerey. Thomas, in particular, seems poised for a big-time performance.
“She is becoming more confident in herself.... And her being able to finish [on offense] while defensively blocking peoples’ shots and being a presence in the paint is incredibly helpful for our team,” junior guard Jasmine Thomas said.
On the offensive side, the Blue Devils will continue to rely heavily on Jasmine Thomas, who became the third player to record a triple-double in Duke history against Marquette. While acknowledging the honor, Thomas continued to stress that, “it’s a team thing we’re trying to focus on. The energy just can’t come from one player.”
All in all, the matchup with Ohio State provides Duke with a tremendous opportunity to prove its worth as a dangerous force this year. Facing such a tough opponent, though, Duke is hoping for as much fan support in as possible.
“We’re trying to get 6,000 [in Cameron],” McCallie said. “Tell your friends. Put it on your Twitter, your Facebook.”
Those who attend can expect nothing but a gut-wrenching fight between two highly skilled teams.
“We’ve been preparing for a battle,” Thomas said. “It’s going to be a tough game. They’re going to be physical. We’re going to be physical. Both teams have that inside-outside presence. We’re just going to try our best to limit their success.”
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