Statline: Monday, Feb. 2 vs. Louisville: 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, nine rebounds, three assists and one steal in 37 minutes; Thursday, Feb. 5 vs. Wake Forest: 24 points on 11-of-21 shooting, six rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes; Sunday, Feb. 8 vs. Clemson: 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting, eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and three steals in 31 minutes.
The good: Azura Stevens was paramount in helping No. 15 Duke achieve its longest winning streak since the beginning of the season at five games and counting. Her 17 points were essential in what was just an eight-point upset against No. 8 Louisville. Thursday she managed to match her career-best 24 points in an otherwise somewhat slow night for the Blue Devils. Six of the 24 came from beyond the arc, where she made half of her team’s total three-pointers for the night, adding a team-high six rebounds to the stat count. Her stellar performance continued into Sunday against Clemson, when she shot 66.7 percent from the field and had a game-high three steals.
As has been the case lately, Stevens was once again a steady force whenever her team needed a big play on either end. Duke is now 9-2 in the ACC and its freshman standout in the post is a big reason why.
The bad: Standing 6-foot-5 and well above many of her opponents, Stevens should hypothetically dominate the boards every night alongside her teammates. However, this week saw the Raleigh, N.C., native's rebounding production drop from 8.0 per game to 7.7 per contest in this week’s games. Although it may not seem like much, her rebounding struggles reflect a larger problem for the Blue Devils of late—at least before the Clemson game. After out-rebounding its opponents by double digits in every game since Jan. 15, Duke managed just eight more than Louisville and two more than the unranked Demon Deacons despite a 17-point victory margin.
Although the load does not fall solely on Stevens' shoulders just because of her height, the next step for the dynamic freshman seems to be consistently pursuing rebounds. There was not anything truly bad about her performance this week, but focusing on technique when rebounding and not only relying on height could also bode well for Stevens and her teammates down low.
The bottom line: Most noticeably since the onset of conference play, Stevens has shown a consistent contribution from every spot on the floor. Her versatility has earned her team-highs in every major category from rebounds to three-pointers to steals at different points during the course of the week, showing that her freshman standout season probably hasn’t yet reached its limit. The Blue Devils need Stevens to continue her stellar performances of late as they take on the tail end of their conference season. Duke will play at No. 4 Notre Dame next Monday after its game at Virginia this week with a chance to continue its ascent in the ACC standings.
Honorable mention: Ka’lia Johnson had back-to-back stellar appearances at the beginning of the week. Against the Cardinals, the point guard went 4-for-6 from the field, including a career-high three treys on the night. Three days later, the Chester, Va., native padded her shooting stats further, shooting 83 percent from the field and adding eight assists against Wake Forest. The senior leader seems to step up especially when her squad needs her the most, having scored in double figures in all but one of the team’s wins against ranked teams this season.
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