Lexie Brown
The statline:
Thursday vs. Virginia Tech: 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting, four assists, three steals and three rebounds
Sunday vs. Boston College: 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting, three steals and three rebounds and one assist
The good: This week, the All-American guard earns the honors along with being named ACC Player of the Week Monday after a pair of standout performances to lift the once-slumping Blue Devil offense. Alongside fellow guard Rebecca Greenwell, Brown had struggled with her shot in the three games leading up to Thursday, with the duo combining to connect on just four of their 31 3-point attempts during the stretch and shooting 27.0 percent from the field.
But Brown stepped up for a scuffling offense, shooting 60.6 percent from the field this week while going 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. Her 29 points against No. 17 Virginia Tech helped propel Duke to its highest scoring output since November in a convincing 84-59 victory. She also led a 34-2 second half run to pull away from Boston College, burying the 3-pointer midway through the third quarter that gave the Blue Devils the lead for good.
With her six steals this week, Brown anchored Duke’s perimeter defense, which combined to force 42 turnovers in the two contests. The Maryland transfer also displayed flawless ball-handling in her own right, not turning the ball over once this week despite ranking second on the team this year with 50 giveaways.
The bad: Brown played extremely consistent basketball over this stretch, so it’s very difficult to find flaws in her performance. One area for improvement could be driving harder to the basket to pick up more fouls—she attempted no free throws against Boston College, but was a perfect 6-for-6 against the Hokies.
An extremely quick, athletic player, Brown could be more of a presence crashing the boards—she pulled down just six in the two games and has averaged 3.3 per game this season. For a Duke offense that lacks a traditional center, Brown could use her speed to compensate for a lack of post depth.
The bottom line: After a turbulent offseason that saw the departure of forward Azurá Stevens and an investigation into head coach Joanne P. McCallie’s program, Brown has shouldered the brunt of the load for Duke and emerged as a legitimate Wooden Award contender. She has infused confidence and energy to a once-plodding offense, vaulting Duke back into the national spotlight for the right reasons.
If Greenwell can return to form, the Blue Devils will have a lethal duo in the backcourt, capable of scoring from the perimeter and by driving into the paint.
If Brown and Duke want to emerge as Final Four contenders, though, they are going to need to step up their offensive execution on the road, where Duke has not won a game against a ranked team in two years. The Blue Devils will get a chance to break that drought Thursday night at No. 8 Notre Dame.
Honorable mention: Brown has dominated the headlines, but sophomore guard Kyra Lambert has quietly been a hyper-efficient force for Duke. With her playmaking ability, she has helped facilitate the Blue Devils’ offense while injecting a hot shooting touch, combining to go 9-for-15 from the field against the Hokies and the Eagles. Lambert has also been a threat from beyond the arc, making five of her six 3-point attempts in those two games and shooting a much-improved 52.9 percent from long range for the season.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.