MEMPHIS—Typically the strongest element of its game, Duke’s defense failed to hold in last night’s game against Baylor. Time and again, the Lady Bears broke through for quick shots and easy buckets.
Though Duke pressed Baylor for much of the entire game—and double-teamed 6-foot-8 freshman Brittney Griner for most of the time—the Lady Bears were never fazed. They demoralized the Blue Devils’ defense with uncontested fast break baskets and utilized their superior quickness to outrun Duke up and down the court.
“The two things that won the game were our press and their press,” Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey said. “Their press allowed our quickness to get by them and score transition buckets, and it allowed us to cut that lead.”
The holes in the Blue Devils’ defense are partly accountable for the Lady Bears’ 12 fast break points and 34 percent shooting percentage from the field. And they didn’t hurt Griner’s stunning performance. She finished with 15 of the team’s 51 points, going 6-for-13 from the field and making all of her shots either in the paint or from the free throw line.
After falling behind 26-21 at the half, Baylor went to a smaller lineup, helping the Lady Bears down low, by allowing for easy shots under the basket when Baylor’s smaller players quickly passed the ball to Griner or junior guard Melissa Jones.
“We needed some steals and needed to score some points in transition so we went to a smaller lineup to do that,” Jones said. “[Duke] had kind of an advantage with their overall team height. We felt that if we got the ball, we would be able to run on them. Fortunately we have some very quick offensive players on our team, and they were able to get some buckets for us.”
But Duke’s shortcomings on the defensive end weren’t the sole flaws that led to the Blue Devils’ 51-48 defeat in the last minute of the game.
Facing strong defensive pressure from Baylor, Duke was unable to cope and was held to a season-low shooting percentage of 23 percent, tied a season low of 48 points and only made 3-of-17 3-point field goals in the game.
“They have quick guards on the perimeter, and we got by them, but with Griner in the paint, it makes you think twice about going all the way to the basket,” said junior Jasmine Thomas, who led Duke’s scoring with 16 points. “When we did pull her out, we still settled for outside shots. We could have taken it in to the basket.”
Griner finished the game one block shy of a triple-double, and her intimidating presence in the paint had a noticable effect on Duke. While Baylor showed poise in making shots during its comeback, the Blue Devils rushed theirs, firing up ill-advised attempts.
“[Our struggles making shots] had a little to do with patience and taking the right shots,” said senior Joy Cheek, who missed both opportunities for a 3-pointer to tie the game in the last 17 seconds. “At the beginning of the game, we moved a lot and kept them on their toes. We attacked more and got to the line. When you have somebody in the paint with shot-blocking ability like [Griner does], it can make it difficult for you to take the shots you want to take.”
And in the end, it was those difficult shots that could have made all the difference in another thwarted attempt by Duke to make the Final Four.
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