The Blue Devils dared the Hurricanes to beat them from the outside Sunday, and Miami came up empty time and time again.
Duke's tenacious 2-3 defense held the Hurricanes to just 26.1 percent shooting in the first half in route to a 68-53 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Unable to get anything going inside the Blue Devils' imposing frontcourt, Miami launched 37 triples, connecting on just eight.
Four different Duke women recorded at least one block as the Hurricanes struggled to score from all spots on the floor. The Blue Devils used their nation-leading length to force Miami to take ill-advised, contested jumpers, hoist up a handful of airballs and cough up 11 turnovers.
“They invited us into a trap and we took too many threes,” Miami head coach Katie Meier said. “They had a great defensive game plan and just cut off our lifelines.”
The Hurricanes went 2-for-11 from beyond the arc early in the first half, and guard Necole Sterling provided a little bit of relief for Miami by hitting back-to-back triples, heading to the locker room having made four of her five attempts. But Miami soon regressed to its poor shooting tendencies, finishing the game at 21.6 percent, only slightly worse than their overall shooting percentage.
Duke was exceptional at forcing difficult shots, seeming to always stick a flailing hand in a shooter’s face.
“There was a sense of fearlessness,” Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “I loved it.”
The Blue Devils’ superb defense allowed for them to be methodical on the offensive end. Systematic ball movement allowed guards to get Elizabeth Williams and Azura Stevens the rock down low for close-range opportunities. As a result, Duke shot 54.5 percent from the floor, including 59.6 percent from inside the arc. When the final buzzer sounded, the Blue Devils had racked up 52 points in the paint—the second-most by Duke all season—against Miami's six.
Williams and Stevens combined for 44 points on 21-of-31 shooting. The frontcourt duo worked in tandem all afternoon, grabbing offensive rebounds and putbacks on the rare occasion that the other misfired.
“[Stevens] makes it a lot easier,” Williams said. “She’s long and always on the boards. I trust that if I shoot and miss it, she’s going to be there to get it. I’m sure she feels the same way about me.”
Duke was also a dominant force on the boards, outrebounding Miami 47-33. Part of this can be attributed to Duke’s pure height advantage, but it was also due to a determination to chase down long rebounds following the many missed Miami treys. The same tenacity on the offensive end led to 13 boards on the offensive end.
“When we are hungry and aggressive, we are very difficult to guard,” McCallie said. “We played together and we played smart.”
With the win, Miami and Duke are now part of a five-way tie atop the ACC. If the Blue Devils continue their overpowering defense and hustle for the boards, then their improved ball movement and relentless inside scoring will prove to be crucial tools for the duration of conference play.
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