Game 1 • Wednesday, Nov. 25 • 12:00 PM
Durham, N.C. • ACC Network
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Tickets: No fans allowed due to COVID-19
Live Stats: www.GoDuke.com
Radio: Duke Sports Network (WDNC 620 AM, www.GoDuke.com, TuneIn app)
Radio Talent: Chris Edwards (PXP)
TV/Video: ACC Network, ACC Network Extra
TV Talent: Pam Ward (PXP), LaChina Robinson (Color)
Duke Head Coach: Kara Lawson (Tennessee, '03)
Record: 0-0 (1)
Setting the Scene...
In the first contest of the "Kara Era" at Duke, the Blue Devil women's basketball team will open the 2020-21 campaign Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 12 p.m., as Duke will host Longwood in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The game will be aired live on the ACC Network with Pam Ward (PXP) and LaChina Robinson (Color) calling the action. It will also be carried on the Duke Sports Network via WDNC AM 620, TuneIn app and www.GoDuke.com with Chris Edwards (PXP) on the air beginning at 11:45 a.m. (ET).
What is Next?...
Duke will remain at home and will next host Western Carolina Sunday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
A Look at Longwood...
Longwood returns four starters and nine letterwinners under the direction of head coach Rebecca Tillett, who has totaled a 15-45 record over two seasons.
Last year, the Lancers totaled a 12-18 record and 8-12 in the Big South. Returning for Longwood includes Kyla McMakin (18.8 points), Akila Smith (6.9 points), Tra'Dayja Smith (8.3 points) and Anne-Hamilton LeRoy (11.1 points).
The Series with Longwood...
Duke hosts Longwood for the second time in program history, having won the previous contest by a score of 105-48, on Nov. 15, 2016 in Durham.
Last year, the Blue Devils were 12-4 on their home court, while the Lancers managed a 5-10 record as the visiting team.
Duke Versus the Big South Conference...
Duke owns a 38-10 record against Big South Conference opponents – Campbell (4-8), Charleston Southern (3-0), Gardner-Webb (1-0), Hampton (6-0), High Point (2-2), Longwood (1-0), Presbyterian (2-0), Radford (4-0), UNC Asheville (9-0), USC Upstate (2-0) and Winthrop (4-0). The Blue Devils have won 37 straight contests against the Big South.
Last Meeting...
Duke collected a 105-48 victory over Longwood in the last meeting on Nov. 15, 2016 in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils were led by Rebecca Greenwell with 30 points as she drained 5-of-6 treys, while Lexie Brown added 27 points on 5-of-5 from downtown. Duke hit 48.8 percent from the field in the game.
Three Keys...
1) Kara Lawson will make her Duke coaching debut against Longwood. After a decorated playing career, Lawson has moved to the sidelines. Her first contest as a head coach will be Wednesday, Nov. 25 in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
2) Duke will open the season without fans and media in Cameron Indoor Stadium due to COVID-19.
3) The Blue Devils will open at home in Cameron Indoor Stadium for the second straight year, but only the second time since the 2012-13 campaign, when Duke downed Presbyterian, 84-45. Duke has won 21 straight home season openers with the last loss coming in the 1977-78 campaign.
Storylines/Other Blue Devil Notes...
• Kara Lawson's playing career has her in elite company as she is one of only three NCAA Division I women's basketball coaches to play in a NCAA Final Four, win a WNBA title and win a WNBA Championship (Lindsay Whalen of Minnesota and Cynthia Cooper-Dyke of Texas Southern).
• Follow @DukeWBB and @KaraLawson20 on Twitter to get the latest updates on Duke women's basketball. Also, "Like" Duke Women's Basketball on Facebook to get the latest videos, pictures and more. DWB is on Instagram at dukewbb.
Season Openers...
Duke owns a 36-9 record in season openers, while holding a 21-2 mark in season openers at home in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils have won 15 out of the last 16 season openers.
Williams Named to Lisa Leslie Award Watch List...
For the third straight season, Duke senior Jade Williams has been named to the Lisa Leslie Award watch list, which was announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
Williams, a product of The Colony, Texas, is coming off a season where she averaged 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals as a junior. She collected double-digit scoring in 11 contests, including six out of her last nine games. Williams, a 6-5 forward/center, started 26-of-30 contests and hit a career-best 10 three-pointers.
Hey, I Know You...
When the Blue Devils hit the hardwood Wednesday in the season opener against Longwood, there will be a familiar face along the sideline with the Lancers.
Duke 2015 graduate Ka'lia Johnson is an assistant coach with Longwood. She joined the Lancers in June of 2019 and helped the squad engineer a nine-win turnaround in 2019-20 form the prior season.
Johnson saw action in 123 contests with the Blue Devils over four seasons. In her final year, she started 32-of-34 contests and averaged 7.4 points. Johnson helped Duke to four straight 20-win seasons, back-to-back NCAA Elite Eight appearances in 2012 and 2013 and the 2013 ACC Championship.
Lawson Opens Duke Coaching Career...
After a decorated playing career, time as a college basketball analyst and a stint as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics', Kara Lawson will make her collegiate coaching debut Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 12 p.m., against Longwood.
Just a few highlights of Lawson's career -- Celtics first female coach in the franchise's 73-year history, named one of the 100 most influential people in women's college basketball as announced by Silver Waves Media in the summer of 2020, on January 12, 2007, she became the first female analyst for a nationally-televised NBA game, helped USA Basketball 3x3 teams to six gold medals since 2017, played 13 WNBA seasons and helped lead the Sacramento Monarchs to the 2005 WNBA title, WNBA All-Star in 2007, four-time All-SEC selection and two-time All-America choice at Tennessee and 2008 USA Basketball gold medal winning squad in Beijing, China. The list could go on and on...
Lack of Scoring Returns...
Duke returns only 37.7 percent of its scoring from a year ago, which is the fewest amount of scoring to return for a Blue Devil squad in school history.
The previous low scoring to return was 43.0 in 1977-78 and 45 in 1976-77.
In comparing ACC schools for the 2020-21 campaign, Duke features the third-lowest amount of returning scoring in the league.
Fewest Points Returning
20.68 - Virginia
32.88 - North Carolina
37.65 - Duke
37.66 - Florida State
45.56 - Louisville
Experienced Assistants Join Lawson...
Duke head coach Kara Lawson welcomed three very talented assistant coaches to the Blue Devil staff with the addition of Beth Cunningham, Winston Gandy and Tia Jackson.
The trio boasts a combined 46 years of collegiate coaching experience including one NCAA Championship, 17 NCAA Tournament selections and six NCAA Final Four appearances.
Cunningham, who owns 19 years of collegiate experience including nine as a head coach, will arrive in Durham from Notre Dame where she helped lead the Irish to one of the best stretches in NCAA history with a 244-19 record over a span of seven seasons (2013-19). This run of success included the 2018 National Championship, five NCAA Final Four appearances and six conference championships.
Gandy, who recently completed his third year on the Rice University women's basketball staff, helped guide the Owls to three straight 20-win seasons, including one NCAA Tournament appearance and one Conference USA Championship.
A 24-year coaching veteran, Jackson spent the last five seasons at Miami where she helped the Hurricanes to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and 109 wins. Jackson will make Durham, N.C., home for a second time as she spent the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons at Duke as an assistant coach, helping the Blue Devils to 63 victories and a trip to the 2006 NCAA championship game.
Two Alumni Honored by Duke...
Two Duke women's basketball alumnae were honored by the Duke Alumni Association on Saturday, Nov. 14 as Sue Monroe Gordon received the Distinguished Alumni Award and Margo Walsh Riddle received the Forever Duke Award.
Each year, the Duke Alumni Association honors a handful of individuals who embody the spirit of Forever Duke and advance the Duke ideal of knowledge in service to society.
Gordon received the highest honor given exclusively to alumni, the Distinguished Alumni Award. The award is given to alumni who have made outstanding contributions through their field of work, in service to Duke and toward the betterment of humanity.
The Washington, D.C., native led the Duke women's basketball team from 1976 to 1980 as the first three-time captain in program history. Gordon went on to join the Central Intelligence Agency after earning her Bachelors of Science degree from Duke in 1980.
Riddle, who hails from Endwell, N.Y, will be one of 18 individual awardees for the Forever Duke Award, which recognizes alumni for excellent recent volunteer service to Duke, the DAA and other alumni groups.
Riddle started 44 games over four years for the Blue Devils, while leading the team in free throw percentage during the 1981-82 season. She went on to earn her Bachelors of Science degree from Duke in 1983.
One of Top Three-Point Shooters Returns...
Miela Goodchild enters her third season with the Blue Devils and has drained 116 three-pointers in 60 collegiate contests.
Over her two seasons, Goodchild has started 35-of-60 games and averaged 9.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
She was the quickest Blue Devil to reach 100 three-pointers in only 45 contests and set a Duke freshman record with 73 three-pointers as a rookie.
Ezeh to Make Duke Debut...
After missing the 2019-20 campaign with a knee injury, Jennifer Ezeh is expected to make her Duke debut this season.
Ezeh was a NACA Basketball All-America in 2019 and helped lead New Hope Academy to the 2019 National Championship. She averaged 15.5 points and 10.1 rebounds as a senior.
Breland Added as Operations Intern...
Duke head coach Kara Lawson announced the addition of WNBA All-Star Jessica Breland as an operations intern for the next three months during the 2020-21 campaign.
"Our program is thrilled to have a person of Bre's character join us," said Lawson. "Her story is incredible. One of perseverance and focus. I was one of her vets when she came into the WNBA and I am proud of how her game continues to grow. She will be a powerful presence that our players can learn from daily."
A nine-year veteran of the WNBA, Breland has played with five different teams – Connecticut, New York, Indiana, Chicago and Atlanta – over her career. Breland was a 2018 WNBA First Team All-Defensive Team honoree and 2014 WNBA All-Star selection. She has appeared in 242 games, while making 180 starts over nine seasons. Breland has totaled 1,766 points, 1,423 rebounds, 324 assists, 328 blocks and 188 steals. With a 1.3 average, she currently ranks 12th all-time in career blocks per game in WNBA history. Breland has finished in the top 10 of the WNBA for total blocks in two straight seasons in 2014 and 2015.
Breland came into the league in 2011 with the Connecticut Sun as Lawson was in her 11th season in the WNBA and the duo helped the Sun collect a 21-13 ledger. Lawson and Breland guided Connecticut to a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference, before falling in the semifinals of the playoffs.
Blue Devils Welcome de Jesus...
Duke will feature only one freshman on the roster in 2020-21 with the addition of Vanessa de Jesus, who hails from Valencia, Calif., and attended Sierra Canyon School.
Ranked No. 37 in the espnW class of 2022 rankings, de Jesus was a Max Preps All-America and was a finalist for the California Gatorade Player of the Year in 2019-20. She averaged 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals as a senior.
Over her career, de Jesus notched 1,225 points, 333 assists, 476 rebounds and 156 steals.
Anastasieska Transfers In...
Sara Anastasieska (SAH-ruh AHN-uh-stahz-ee-ESK-uh) was added to the 2020-21 roster as a sixth-year transfer from California.
A native of Sydney, Australia, Anastasieska is coming off a 2019-20 campaign at California where she averaged 7.8 points, 1.8 assists and 1.3 rebounds, while draining 27 treys. Anastasieska played some of her best games against nationally ranked opponents as she notched a season-high 25 points at Connecticut and 15 points at Oregon. The 5-11 guard drained 5-of-10 treys, had two rebounds, two assists and one steal against the Huskies.
Over two seasons in Berkeley, Anastasieska appeared in 39 games and made 25 starts, but was limited due to injuries. She missed the 2018-19 campaign due to a back injury and played only 10 games in 2017-18.
Anastasieska played her freshman campaign in 2015-16 at the University of Texas – San Antonio seeing action in 25 games. She hit 13 treys and averaged 4.8 points a contest.
She represented her native country of Australia on the U19 and U17 National Teams in 2015 and 2014, respectively. Anastasieska helped Australia qualify for the 2014 U17 World Championships. She was named Most Valuable Player of her New South Wales squad at the U20 National Championships in February of 2015 after starting every game. She averaged 15.0 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per contest.
Anastasieska has one year of eligibility remaining and is attending the Duke Fuqua School of Business.
Havas Joins Squad...
Duke head coach Kara Lawson added Jiselle Havas to the 2020-21 roster as a walk on, but she will have to sit out the season due to NCAA rules.
Havas, a native of Windermere, Fla., played the previous two seasons at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., where she competed in 55 games. She is coming off a sophomore season where she drained nine three-pointers, while starting three of her 28 games played.
In two seasons, Havas drained 29 treys and scored a career-best 15 points versus Monmouth in December of 2018. The 5-10 guard hit three or more three-pointers on three different occasions.
Havas was a two-time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll selection at Lafayette. She is majoring in mechanical engineering at Duke and has two years of eligibility remaining.
Adams to Miss Second Straight Season...
For the second straight year, Duke senior Jayda Adams will be sidelined, after suffering another knee injury while home over summer break. She retore her ACL from a year ago and had ACL revision surgery recently.
Adams last saw action in 30 contests during the 2018-19 campaign, while making two starts. She averaged 3.1 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists. Adams, who hails from Irvine, Calif., drained 21 three-pointers and a 36.8 percentage.
Over two seasons, Adams has played in 63 contests and sank 32 three-pointers.
She is expected to graduate in May with a degree in psychology, while obtaining a markets and management certificate.
A full set of game notes are attached!
"in" - Google News
November 25, 2020 at 02:41AM
https://ift.tt/2Kv9SCM
Blue Devils Host Longwood in Season Opener Wednesday - Duke University - GoDuke.com
"in" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2MLa3Y1
https://ift.tt/2YrnuUx
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Blue Devils Host Longwood in Season Opener Wednesday - Duke University - GoDuke.com"
Post a Comment