Head coach Joanne P. McCallie prefaced Monday night’s game against Connecticut by saying that the Huskies were the most unbeatable team ever.
Forty minutes later, after the No. 7 Blue Devils had played about as well as they have all season, they still found themselves on the losing end of a 33-point rout, falling 81-48 at Cameron Indoor Stadium for their first home loss in 24 contests.
Duke (15-3) has battled against six ranked teams this season and defeated three of them, including then-No. 3 Ohio State in December, but McCallie admitted that No. 1 Connecticut (18-0) was on a different level than the rest of the teams in the country.
“They’re definitely on their own,” McCallie said. “Their efficiency is what makes them different.”
That quality was most prominent on the offensive end. Connecticut was red-hot from the field, connecting on 53.6 percent of its shots, and benefited from crisp ball movement. The Huskies had 24 assists on 30 field goals and rarely forced up contested looks. Many of those open shots came from beyond the arc, and Connecticut shot a sizzling 13-of-25 on 3-pointers.
It was difficult for the Blue Devils to key in on defense, as five Connecticut players scored in double figures and six players had at least three assists. Preseason All-Americans Maya Moore and Tina Charles had quiet games by their own lofty standards, but the Huskies’ backcourt carried the scoring load, led by Kalana Greene with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Guards Tiffany Hayes and Caroline Doty also chipped in 13 points apiece, making it tough for Duke to get stops even when Moore and Charles were not on the court.
“When I was in foul trouble on the bench in the first half, I was just cheesing like a little kid in a candy store because they were doing so well,” Moore said.
Connecticut’s offensive prowess stood in stark contrast to the Blue Devils’ woes.
Jasmine Thomas emerged as the only legitimate scoring threat against the Huskies. Her ability to work off screens and hit tough jumpers as well as drive into the lane kept Connecticut working on defense, particularly in the first half when Thomas scored 11 points and dished out two assists with no turnovers. However, she got little help from her teammates, allowing the Huskies to change their defensive strategy in the second half to cut off Thomas’s driving lanes.
“We couldn’t keep her in front of us most of the time—she’s just fast enough with the ball,” Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma said. “In the second half we did a much better job of whoever wasn’t guarding her getting to the spots where she was going so that there was earlier help so that she either had to pass the ball or pull it out. We didn’t give her a lot of lanes to slash through.”
Duke had difficulty as a whole in the halfcourt set, stagnating against the aggressive Connecticut defense. The Blue Devils couldn’t find open players to pass to, resulting in a lot of one-on-one action on the offensive end. As a result, Duke assisted on only seven baskets and turned the ball over 23 times, a number of those coming on travels.
With Thomas struggling, the Huskies broke open the game in the second half as the backcourt spearheaded a 14-4 run to firmly take control of the contest. The Blue Devils couldn’t take care of the ball and had several one-shot possessions, allowing Connecticut to run out in the open floor and score at a frenetic pace.
“The biggest difference in the second half was rebounding on the defensive end,” Greene said. “We got out in transition.”
The Huskies refused to let up, even as they sported a 20-point lead, and reserve Lorin Dixon put the exclamation point on another dominating team performance with a four-point play as the shot clock expired with seven seconds left.
“You’re never used to playing that kind of team,” McCallie said. “I’m grateful for the experience and disappointed in the outcome.”
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