Duke women's basketball player of the week: Week 1

Rebecca Greenwell

The statline:

Friday vs. Liberty: 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Sunday vs. Pennsylvania: 17 points on 5-of-16 shooting, eight rebounds, two assists and one steal.

The good: In a week competing against two relatively weaker teams, it was important for the Blue Devils to maintain their composure and stay patient when looking for scoring opportunities. Greenwell did this better than anyone else on the team, leading the team Friday night with a career-high 28 points and notching another double-digit scoring effort Sunday afternoon with 17.

Greenwell made two 3-pointers in each decisive victory, and she also made an impact on the boards and drew fouls with strong drives to the basket, hitting 11-of-13 free throws. When the Owensboro, Ky., native wasn't scoring, she was creating chances for her teammates, as junior transfer Lexie Brown tacked on 20 points in her second game as a Blue Devil against Pennsylvania.

The bad: Running a fast-paced offense, Duke faced a press for the first time in quite a few games and continued to struggle with turnovers. Even against opponents like Liberty and the Quakers, the Blue Devils committed 18 and 16 turnovers, respectively, and Greenwell had six in the two games. Although it still won 68-55 even after losing the turnover battle with Pennsylvania, Duke will need to take better care of the ball against teams that are more used to pressing and dealing with its defensive intensity on the other end of the court.

The bottom line: The Blue Devils need to stay healthy and smart to be successful in a faster-paced offense this year. Their offense in both opening games stagnated at times, as the Quakers outscored Duke in every quarter but the first period. For the Blue Devils to compete in the ACC, they need to use nonconference games to perfect their system.

Honorable mention: Although Greenwell and Brown both had impressive days, they are not the only players who contributed substantially from the guard position. Sophomore Kyra Lambert sparked Duke's offense with 13 points at Liberty and 11 points against Pennsylvania. She knocked down key shots and was 2-for-3 from 3-point range both days, and she scored the first six points of Sunday's game in a 25-second span with a 3-pointer and a 3-point play following a Quaker turnover on the ensuing inbounds play. Lambert, along with Greenwell and Brown, helped speed up the games this weekend to the pace the Blue Devils want to play at and will be integral piece of their backcourt for the rest of the season.