Marquee matchup awaits Duke women's basketball against No. 3 Notre Dame

After a 1-3 start to ACC play, Duke has rattled off four straight wins, beating up on the bottom third of the conference. Boston College, Clemson, North Carolina and Pittsburgh boast a combined ACC record of just 5-28, but the Blue Devils emerged unscathed, weathered a pair of injuries and rediscovered some of the momentum that disappeared early in January.

Monday night, though, will provide a barometer test of just where Duke stands against one of the nation’s best teams.

The Blue Devils will face perhaps their toughest test of the season against No. 3 Notre Dame Monday at Cameron Indoor Stadium at 6 p.m. The Fighting Irish boast one of the most dangerous offenses in the nation, entering Monday’s contest averaging 81.0 points per game and with just a single blemish on their record at the hands of juggernaut Connecticut.

The Blue Devils are 0-5 against Notre Dame since the two became ACC rivals in 2013-14 and will have their work cut out for them again Monday after a weekend off from competition. A win against the Fighting Irish would be Duke’s first victory against a ranked opponent this season.

“They’re a very talented team. They have a lot of different threats and they’re very offensive-minded,” Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “They score a lot of their points in transition. We’re going to have to play smart transition defense, stop their run-outs, close out on their shooters and cut off that nice penetration by [Lindsay Allen].”

The Blue Devils’ four-game winning streak has been highlighted by Amber Henson’s defensive resurgence, as the team has shifted from a 2-3 zone to a 3-2 defense with star Azurá Stevens at the top. With Henson’s rebounding ability, the versatile Stevens has been freed up to play anywhere in the zone, as her size and wingspan have disrupted opposing guards from finding an offensive rhythm.

Stevens and Henson will face another talented post player in Notre Dame sophomore Brianna Turner, who enters Monday’s contest averaging 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game on 60 percent shooting. Thursday’s win at Pittsburgh was perhaps Henson’s best defensive performance of the season, as she was the leader of a unit that limited the Panthers to only four points in the paint, all of which came in the fourth quarter.

Henson’s defensive prowess does not always show up on the box score, but her intangibles have caught McCallie’s eye as the Blue Devils (16-6, 5-3 in the ACC) have climbed back above water in conference play. Henson took a leave of absence from the program from Nov. 22 until early January, but has started each of the past four Duke wins.

“Amber’s been fantastic. She knows the defenses very well, she’s a vocal leader, she’s a team player and she has wonderful instincts,” McCallie said. “She plays very long and aggressive, and it’s been an enormous difference.”

The Tampa, Fla., native has contributed on the offensive end of the court. With her ability to step out and make long-range shots, Henson forces the defense to account for her, which has opened up opportunities in the paint for Stevens and junior Oderah Chidom.

Stevens will celebrate her 20th birthday Monday and sits just nine points shy of 900 for her career. The Raleigh native has been on a tear of late, scoring 33 points against Clemson before back-to-back 26-point outbursts against the Tar Heels and Panthers. During the four-game winning streak, Stevens has expanded her game, knocking down 8-of-13 attempts from beyond the arc after making just six total 3-pointers in the team’s first 18 games.

With the exception of a lackluster performance in a 54-42 victory against Georgia Tech Thursday, the Fighting Irish (20-1, 8-0) have registered at least 60 points in every contest, despite being without Turner for six games. Notre Dame has four players—Turner, Madison Cable, Marina Mabrey and Arike Ogunbowale—who average at least 10.0 points per game.

The contest will feature two of the ACC’s most efficient offenses, with both teams hitting better than 45 percent of their shots.

But help is on its way for the injury-riddled Blue Devils. Freshman Angela Salvadores returned to action Thursday after dealing with an ankle sprain that forced her to sit on the sidelines for three contests. Salvadores played just nine minutes against the Panthers—missing her only shot and committing three turnovers—but her ability to penetrate will add yet another dimension to the Duke offense. Backcourt mate Kyra Lambert took over the role as the chief distributor in Salvadores’ absence, dishing out 18 assists in the past four games.

Salvadores and Lambert have faced several talented backcourts this season, but may find themselves relying on Stevens and Henson on both ends of the floor to pull out a season-defining victory Monday. Henson has used her 6-foot-4 frame to alter opponents’ shots and crash the glass—the graduate student pulled down a career-best 16 rebounds against North Carolina Jan. 24.

“[Henson] makes big plays and she works early and she stakes her claim a little bit whether it’s a jump shot, getting a great rebound or steal,” McCallie said. “I think that’s a mark of a veteran player who understands the game and I think there’s a lot in Amber. There’s a lot she can do and she’s a terrific shooter.”