Home Sweet Home.
Every team sport has a home-team advantage. Home court, home ice, home field, home pitch, whatever.
But the Duke women’s basketball team seems to be taking it to extremes.
Let’s do a brief reprise.
On January 14 Duke hosted Georgia Tech and won 84-46, Duke’s most complete game of the season and one of the most complete of Kara Lawson’s Duke tenure.
Four days later, also at home, Duke spotted Virginia Tech a 12-point lead and roared back for a 63-46 win, holding the Hokies to 28 points over the final three quarters.
Duke then traveled to Raleigh and were blasted by NC State 72-57. It wasn’t that close.
Duke came home and made mincemeat of Florida State 88-46, dominance even more total than against Georgia Tech.
Back on the road and a predictable pattern played out. Too many turnovers, a second-period drought and Miami was getting ready to hand Duke another double-digit road loss. But there was one script change, Duke fought back and had a chance in the end. Not one they capitalized on. But hopefully something to build on.
Duke was solid early. Not spectacular. But they weren’t blown out of the water either.
Not at first, anyway.
Duke led 4-2, fell behind 14-8 but closed the period on a 7-0 run, an Ashlon Jackson jumper putting Duke up 15-14 after one.
But the second period was boo, hiss awful. Duke missed their first four shots, by which point they were trailing 19-15. Oluchi Okananwa cut it to two but missed the and-one foul shot. Former Blue Devil Shayeann Day-Wilson hit a triple to put the home team up 22-17 and former Blue Devil Jaida Patrick hit another to make it 29-17.
There are a lot of former Blue Devils playing college hoops these days. It’s the world we live in.
Ashlon Jackson got Duke within seven with a 3-pointer but Ja’Leah Williams ended the first half scoring with another 3-pointer and Miami went into the locker room up 33-23.
Duke was outscored 19-8 in the second quarter.
Day-Wilson hit another 3 to start the second half and it was 36-23. The deficit reached 14 points, at 43-29.
Now Duke has already had ACC road losses by margins of 16 points (Clemson), 17 (Louisville) and 16 (NC State), with one road win, 60-56 at Virginia. This is where the wheels could have come off.
But Duke willed their way back in it. Spurred by an Okananwa 3-pointer Duke closed the third period on a 7-2 run and entered the final quarter down 49-41.
Winnable.
But the fourth began the same way as the others, badly for the visitors. Jadyn Donovan missed two foul shots, Day-Wilson hit another triple, with a turnover or two thrown in--there always seems to be a turnover or two. There was one possession when Duke air-balled two open 3-pointers.
Duke found itself down 56-43.
Duke’s final surge began at the midpoint of the fourth. Duke’s defense held Miami to three points over a span of 4:32.
Duke closed to 59-51, then 59-53, then 59-55, with 90 seconds left.
Duke couldn’t close the deal. Taina Mair fouled Patrick with the shot clock running down and two foul shots made it 61-55. Patrick returned the favor and more, fouling Mair on a 3. She made all three foul shots and it was a one-possession game.
Day-Wilson turned it over by going over and back and it was all right there for the taking.
Maybe it was youth, maybe it was the road, maybe Miami just played better defense than Duke played offense. But Okananwa traveled and Miami closed out the 64-58 win from the foul line.
Day-Wilson led everyone with 17 points. Okananwa led Duke with 13, with Donovan and Richardson adding 10 each.
Duke lost this one on offense. Hold a team to 64 points and you should win most of the time. But Duke shot 40 percent from the field, 21 percent from beyond the arc and had 18 turnovers, six by Donovan, four by Okananwa. Donovan did have six of Duke’s 18 assists.
“I thought we had plenty of moments in that second half where we could have let it get out of control, but we didn’t. “Lawson said in the post-game. “I’m proud of my young group.”
The question remains. Can Duke build on it? Duke is 4-0 at home in ACC play, 1-4 on the road. Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Syracuse and North Carolina are the remaining road contests, with Pitt (this Thursday) the best chance for a road win.
Duke’s schedule has been brutal and the NET likes Duke. But doesn’t love Duke. Hosting is a long shot but hold serve at home, beat Pitt, maybe steal a road win against one of the other three and go to Greensboro playing with house money.
Lots of buts. Getting those turnovers under control remains the most important.