Coming off a nail-biting win against No. 21 Syracuse, the Blue Devils will hit the road for the first time in conference play in search of putting together a smarter performance.
No. 13 Duke will take on Florida State Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Fla. After Thursday's 74-72 win against the Orange in which the Blue Devils committed 25 turnovers, head coach Joanne P. McCallie is looking for better poise from her team moving forward.
Duke (11-4, 2-0 in the ACC) has turned the ball over at least 22 times in four of its last five contests, allowing both of its conference opponents thus far to keep things uncomfortably close. McCallie said a more deliberate pace of play might help her team's turnover woes, allowing players to execute the offense without trying to do too much, too quickly.
“We need to slow down more on offense. We're not a high-tempo, fast-break kind of team. We want to get our run-outs when we can, but we also want to control the tempo of the game," McCallie said. “It’s a matter really of getting clear and understanding our identity and who we are. And sometimes we step out of that and it costs us.”
Limiting turnovers will be paramount again Sunday. The Seminoles (14-2, 1-1) play an aggressive defense, forcing just more than 20 giveaways per contest. With the departure of freshman guard Sierra Calhoun, an already-thin backcourt became even more depleted. The Blue Devils are one of the tallest teams in the nation, and the limited depth at guard requires post players to handle the ball more frequently.
If Duke can reduce its giveaways, it stands a far better chance at controlling the tempo of the game. With quick guards Maegan Conwright, Brittany Brown and Morgan Jones in its starting five, Florida State is always looking to leak out on the fast break.
"They like to run and get up and down in transition," McCallie said. "Tempo again will be very important."
Freshman Azura Stevens played well against Syracuse Thursday, tallying 12 points, six rebounds and six assists, scoring both down low and from beyond the arc, where the versatile 6-foot-5 forward drilled both of her 3-point attempts. But after tweaking an ankle, Stevens' status for Sunday's contest against the Seminoles is up in the air, with McCallie calling the Raleigh, N.C., native "day-by-day."
Stevens' performance Thursday—along with 20 points and four 3-pointers from redshirt freshman guard Rebecca Greenwell—highlighted Duke's offensive philosophy—pound the ball inside, then look for open shooters around the perimeter.
“We want to dominate from the inside-out,” McCallie said. “We also want to celebrate our 3-point shooting as well.…Once we break down the defense and kick the ball out, we are ready to go.”
Florida State boasts five players who score in double-figures, led by the post tandem of Adut Bulgak and Ivey Slaughter. In the Seminoles' 82-52 rout of Clemson Thursday, both forwards notched double-doubles, combining for 30 points and 22 rebounds.
Guard Leticia Romero—who was granted eligibility by the NCAA Dec. 23 after transferring from Kansas State after last season—has provided a spark for Florida State since returning to the floor. In three games, the Las Palmas, Spain, product has racked up 13 assists and is averaging 10.0 points per game.
Head coach Sue Semrau has brought Romero off the bench in those three contests, but the transfer offers immediate energy and changes the look offensively for the Seminoles.
"Now that [Romero] has eligibility, they're a very different team," McCallie said. "She's a super guard, she can shoot the three, play off the bounce."
Sunday's game may also come down to the battle on the boards, as both Duke and Florida State rank in the top four in the country in rebounding margin. The Seminoles outrebounded the Tigers 54-25 Thursday.
Sameer Pandhare contributed reporting.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.