The Blue Devils are settling into a successful streak of competition and now turn to play four of their five final regular season games on the road.
After notching three conference wins, No. 11 Duke moved up in the poll just in time for four straight ACC road contests. The Blue Devils look to improve to 10-2 in conference as they square off against the Cavaliers Thursday at 7 p.m. in Charlottesville, Va. The stretch away from home is the longest of any team in conference.
“We’re getting better, and we’re learning to play with each other more effectively,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “We’ve seen improvement, [and] we’ve got a great road test on Thursday.”
Since a staggering loss to Boston College Jan. 22—the Eagles’ first conference win of the season—Duke (18-6, 9-2 in the ACC) regrouped and won the next five contests, including upsets against then-No. 12 North Carolina and then-No. 8 Louisville. The Blue Devils stand a good chance of extending their win streak to six games if they continue last week’s three-win momentum.
Virginia (15-8, 5-5) enters Thursday’s matchup after a weeklong break to recover from a 21-point loss to conference leader No. 4 Notre Dame. The Cavaliers have six remaining opportunities to improve their spot in conference, four of which will be played at home, where the squad boasts an 11-2 record overall.
Threatening the Blue Devil defense will be the leading rebounder in the conference—Sarah Imovbioh—who ranks seventh nationally with five offensive rebounds per game. The junior forward also averages 13.9 points per game, ranking second behind Faith Randolph’s 17.6 points-per-game season average.
“[Virginia is] another team a lot like Carolina athletically that’s very good at their guard spots,” McCallie said. “They have some nice post players too, some good balance and one of the best players in the league—number 20, Randolph. They’re a very, very good team. They’re as good as any team in the league, and that’s kind of how it is every night.”
Imovbioh’s rebounding efforts will be up against Duke’s ACC-leading 46.6 rebounds per game. The Blue Devils also top the conference in rebounding margin, outrebounding their various foes by an average gap of 13.7 boards. But the squad’s strength lies overwhelmingly with defensive rebounds. Duke is tied for second in the nation with 31 defensive rebounds per game, but its 15.8 offensive boards don’t breach the top 30.
Having gradually reduced its turnover rate in recent games, the team can now turn its attention to developing its offense and getting more second-chance points with offensive boards.
“We need to offensive rebound more. I’m really wanting those numbers to go up,” McCallie said. “Turnovers are working their way as they will, but the offensive rebounds are very important to us, and we’ve got to get more of those.”
Rounding out the Cavaliers’ offensive threats are its two shooting guard starters—Mikayla Venson and Breyana Mason. The duo presents formidable shooting skills, with Venson hitting 26 treys in conference play and Mason adding 13. Both average double-digit scoring in addition to 70-plus free-throw percentages, urging the Blue Devils to keep them off the line. Duke is also in danger if it allows Randolph too many foul shot opportunities, as she leads the conference with her 89.3 free throw percentage.
In addition to keeping their opponents off the free throw line, McCallie said she would also like to see the Blue Devils have more chances from the free throw line throughout the course of the game. Duke does not have a strong presence on the line but instead relies on points from the field. Freshman forward Azura Stevens led the team in scoring in four of the team’s last six games, but had only nine attempts at free throws and made just three.
Opportunities at free points aside, Stevens’ play will be essential to the team’s success both Thursday and for the remainder of the season. Last week’s success earned her USBWA National Freshman of the Week and ACC Rookie of the Week honors, both for the second time this season.
“Azura just has no limits to what she can do,” McCallie said. “She’s been learning and growing all season long. Accolades are great, but even more than that is her heart and hustle, the way she plays the game. She’s really a heartfelt player—she goes hard and loves to compete.”
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