NCAA Tournament Second Round
#21/-- Louisiana State (21-9) at #6/6 Duke (28-5)
Monday, March 22 at 7:11 PM (ESPN2)
Durham, N.C. • Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Media Information
Tip-off: 7:11 PM
TV: ESPN2 - (Beth Mowins-PXP, Stephanie Ready-Color)
Radio: Duke ISP Network - 620 The Buzz with Steve Barnes (PBP), Morgan Patrick (Color);
Online Radio: www.GoDuke.com
Twitter: DukeWBBSID & CoachPDuke
Facebook: Official Duke Women's Basketball Group
Rankings: Duke (No. 6 - AP, No. 6 - ESPN/USA Today); LSU (No. 21 - AP)
Series: Tied 3-3
Head Coaches: Duke: Joanne P. McCallie (396-169, 18th Season);
LSU: Van Chancellor (510-180, 22nd Year)
No. 6 Duke Hosts No. 21 LSU in NCAA Tournament Second Round on Monday...
The sixth-ranked Duke women's basketball team (28-5, 12-2 ACC) will look to advance to its 12th NCAA Regional over the past 13 years on Monday as the second-seeded Blue Devils will host 21st-ranked and seventh-seeded Louisiana State (21-9, 9-7 SEC) at 7:11 p.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium on ESPN2.
Calling the game for ESPN2 will be Beth Mowins (PXP) and Stephanie Ready (Color). Fans can also hear the Blue Devils on the Duke ISP Radio Network on WDNC AM 620 with Steve Barnes (PXP) and Morgan Patrick (Color) on the air. The radio is also available online at www.GoDuke.com.
Duke is currently ranked No. 6 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll. LSU is listed No. 21 in the Associated Press poll. The Blue Devils will face their 11th ranked team on the season as Duke owns a 7-3 mark against ranked opponents in 2009-10.
Noting Duke...
Junior Jasmine Thomas has started 57 straight games ... Duke is 20-0 this season when holding opponents to 60 or under points ... the Blue Devils have posted a 24-0 record this year when shooting above 40.0 percent from the field and are 0-5 when under that mark ... during the first 11 games of 2009, Duke only took five charges, but over the last 22 contests the players have taken 26 (Shay Selby - 8, Allison Vernerey - 7, Karima Christmas - 6) ... Selby leads Duke's team with 10 charges taken on the season ... Duke is the only team in the ACC to have beaten a ranked non-conference opponent this season (No. 3 OSU and No. 25 JMU) ... the Blue Devils hold a 1110-578 points in the paint advantage on the year ... Duke has been listed in the top 25 of the AP poll for 205 straight weeks, which is the longest current streak in the ACC and third nationally.
A Look at LSU...
Louisiana State (21-9) received an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament for the 12th straight season. Head Coach Van Chancellor and LSU have been led by Allison Hightower (18.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 44 treys), LaSondra Barrett (12.8 points, 6.7 rebounds) and Katherine Graham (8.5 points, 5.8 rebounds) on the year.
The Lady Tigers fell to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament, 63-61, and have won six out of the last eight games. LSU has reached at least the second round of the tournament for 12-consecutive seasons.
The Series With LSU...
In four meetings between Duke and LSU, the series is tied 2-2. LSU won the first meeting in the NCAA Tournament as the Tigers collected a 79-66 victory on Mar. 25, 2000 in the NCAA Sweet 16 in Richmond, Va. Then, the next year the Blue Devils downed the Tigers, 56-45, on Nov. 11, 2000 in the Women's Sports Foundation Classic in Albuquerque, N.M.
In 2005, second-seeded Duke fell to top-seeded LSU, 59-49, in the NCAA Elite Eight at Chattanooga, Tenn., but then in 2006 the Blue Devils defeated fifth-ranked LSU in the NCAA Final Four, 84-45.
Three of the four meetings have come in the NCAA Tournament.
Duke Versus the SEC...
Duke owns an all-time record of 25-13 against teams from the SEC -- Alabama (0-1), Arkansas (2-1), Auburn (3-0), Florida (2-1), Georgia (3-0), Kentucky (2-0), LSU (2-2), Mississippi State (1-0), South Carolina (1-1), Tennessee (6-5) and Vanderbilt (3-2).
Storylines/Other Blue Devil Notes...
- With a victory in the second round, Duke would advance to the NCAA Regionals for the 12th time out of the last 13 years.
- Duke has won 13 straight NCAA Tournament games played in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils have won those contests by an average of 25.5 points.
- The Blue Devils own a 1-1 all-time record against teams seeded No. 7. Duke last defeated Boston College in the second round in 2005, 70-65, while falling to Minnesota, 82-77, in the Elite Eight in 2004.
- On the year, Duke has notched 15 wins in Cameron Indoor Stadium. If the Blue Devils win its second round game, Duke will match its school record of 16 home victories in a single season. The only time the Blue Devils have collected 16 wins at home was in 1999-2000 (16-2).
- Jasmine Thomas is moving up the Duke single-season record charts. She has now hit 60 three-pointers, which ranks tied for fifth and needs only eight more to match the Duke record. Only five players in Duke history has hit 60 or more three-pointers. She also ranks in the top 10 or is approaching in three-point field goals attempted, points, field goals attempted, assists and steals.
- Sophomore Chelsea Hopkins made her first appearance on the court against Hampton since Feb. 14 at Virginia Tech. She had been battling a sore knee but was available for action in the ACC Tournament. Hopkins matched a season high with five points in 13 minutes.
- Duke has registered 10 or more steals in eight consecutive games and a total of 24 times in 2009-10. Over the last eight contests, Duke has averaged 13.1 steals a game. The Blue Devils rank second nationally with a 13.4 steals per game average (prior to the NCAA first round game).
- The Blue Devils have accumulated 438 steals in 33 games so far on the year and need only 24 more to match the Duke single-season record of 462 in 2002-03.
- Over the last nine games, Karima Christmas has averaged 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.4 assists. She has notched double-digit scoring in eight out of the last nine contests. Christmas had a career-high 25 points and a career-high four three-pointers made against Maryland on Feb. 21. Christmas had hit only two treys the last 12 games prior to the Terrapin contest.
- After not scoring more than 10 points over the previous 11 games, senior Joy Cheek has notched double-digit scoring in six out of the last seven contests. During the last seven games, Cheek has averaged 11.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals.
- Junior Krystal Thomas continues to be a force in the second half for the Blue Devils as she has scored 47 of her 50 points after halftime during the last nine games.
- With her six assists at UNC on Feb. 28, Jasmine Thomas became the 10th player in Duke history to notch over 1,000 points and 300 assists. She currently owns 1,101 points and 318 assists in three years.
- With Duke's victory on March 5, the Blue Devils have now registered 25 or more wins 12 straight years.
- Junior Jasmine Thomas has moved into ninth place on Duke's all-time steals list with 193 for her career, while Keturah Jackson is tied for 10th place.
- Over her first three years at Duke, senior Bridgette Mitchell registered eight double-figure scoring games, while this year the 6'0 wing has collected 10 games with double-digit scoring.
- In her three years at Duke, junior Jasmine Thomas has increased her field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, free throw percentage and scoring each year.
- Senior Keturah Jackson has a career high with 11 three-pointers made in a single season. Over her four years, she has hit 15 treys and had drained only five her first three years. In three years at Duke, Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie has notched four victories against top-five ranked teams -- #3/3 Ohio State in 2009-10, #3/4 Stanford in 2008-09, while knocking off #4/3 Rutgers and #5/4 Maryland in 2007-08.
- In the latest NCAA RPI, Duke is fifth behind Connecticut, Stanford, Tennessee and Nebraska. FSU is 14th, which is the next ACC squad.
- Duke is seventh in the latest RPI by Jeff Sagarin -- Connecticut (109.47), Stanford (102.35), Tennessee (98.63), Nebraska (100.19), Texas A&M (95.71), Notre Dame (95.39) and Duke (94.23). The next closest ACC school is Florida State at No. 13 (89.97).
- Junior Krystal Thomas has moved into a seventh place on Duke's all-time blocked shots list with 132. She is 16 blocks shy of fifth place all-time on the Blue Devil charts.
- To show how tough Duke's schedule has been this year, the Blue Devils went up against eight undefeated teams this season -- Connecticut (17-0), Ohio State (8-0), James Madison (7-0), Stanford (7-0), Western Kentucky (3-0), Georgia Southern (1-0), Houston Baptist (0-0) and Texas A&M (0-0).
Last Time We Met...
Duke held LSU to season lows in points and field goal percentage while shooting 50 percent on the offensive end to secure the school's second trip to a national championship game on April 2, 2006. Six players scored seven or more points for Duke, who held LSU to an all-time Final Four low 15 first half points and held on for a 64-45 victory.
Mistie Williams led Duke with 14 points, including the first six of the second half, while shooting 7-of-9 from the field. Monique Currie played a solid game, going for 13 points and four rebounds.
Abby Waner sparked Duke off the bench again, scoring 11 points off of just three field goal attempts.
Duke guarded player of the year Seimone Augustus by committee, holding her to zero first half points for the first time in her career and 14 overall after she hit a couple of late jumpers.
Duke started the game quickly with a pair of lay-ups from Lindsey Harding and one each from Bales and Williams to open up on a 9-2 run in the first four minutes. LSU went on a 9-0 run as Duke didn't score for over six minutes but never lost the lead. After the Tigers pulled to within 18-13, Duke finished the half on an 8-2 run holding LSU to a Final Four record low 15 first half points. The Blue Devils led 26-15 at the half.
Williams scored the first six points of the second half for Duke but LSU kept the lead between 10 and 15 points and six minutes in they made their final run, pulling to within 37-31 after a 7-1 run. After the second media timeout of the second half, Duke went on a 9-1 run with two lay-ups apiece from Currie and Williams.
Duke's lead grew to 18 at 50-32 after another Currie layup and then LSU pulled to within 14 before Waner's three-pointer pushed the lead back to 17 at 54-37 with five minutes left. Currie's last basket gave Duke its first 20 point lead at 63-43 and Duke held on for a 64-45 final.
Coach P Nets Another First...
Blue Devil Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie captured her sixth conference championship over her 18-year career as a head coach when Duke won the ACC Championship on March 7. She won the North Atlantic Championship in 1995 and 1996, won the America East Championship in 1997 and 1998, the Big Ten Championship in 2005 and the ACC Championship in 2010.
She become the first Division I coach to notch conference championships in four different conferences. Coach P also became the first Division I coach to be named a conference coach of the year in four different conferences in 2010.
Hey, I Know You...
Duke will be going up against LSU who has its former Director of Athletics, Joe Alleva in charge of its athletic department. Alleva spent 32 years at Duke and 10 years as its Director of Athletics. Blue Devil Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie was hired by Alleva on April 20, 2007.
Blue Devil junior Karima Christmas met LSU senior Allison Hightower at a Texas Tech basketball camp when she was in high school. Christmas is from Houston, Texas, while Hightower is from Arlington, Texas. Christmas was also presented with the MVP award for the Spring Branch Tournament in high school by current LSU Head Coach Van Chancellor. Chancellor was the head coach of the Houston Comets in the WNBA at the time.
Top Guards to Tangle Monday...
Two of the top guards in the nation will hit the court on Monday in Durham as Duke's Jasmine Thomas and LSU's Allison Hightower will go up against each other. Both are John R. Wooden Award, State Farm Wade Trophy and Naismith candidates for National Player of the Year.
Top Defenses to Square Off...
Both Duke and LSU feature two of the top defenses in the country as LSU's 52.1 scoring defense ranks sixth, while Duke's 55.1 scoring defense is 17th. The stats are through games of March 14.
In Saturday's first round games, Duke held Hampton to only 37 points, while LSU held Hartford to 39 points. It was the two lowest scores of the first round games that were played on March 20.
Jackson Nets Career High...
Blue Devil senior Keturah Jackson opened the 2010 NCAA Tournament with a bang as she notched a career-high 13 points as she hit a career-best 6-of-6 field goals. On the season, Jackson has scored double-figures only five times and has nine double-digit scoring contests over her career. Two of those double-digit scoring games have now come in NCAA Tournament action.
In the Postseason...
During the four postseason games in the ACC and NCAA Tournament, junior Jasmine Thomas has averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals. She has hit 56.3 percent from downtown and 46.3 percent of her field goals.
As a team, the Blue Devils have hit 43.1 percent from downtown (22-of-51). Senior Bridgette Mitchell leads Duke with 12 offensive rebounds in four games, while Duke has forced an average of 21.0 turnovers.
Duke Players In The NCAA Tournament...
Senior Joy Cheek has appeared in a team-high nine NCAA Tournament contests over her career. She is coming off averaging 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals last year in two games as a junior. She had eight points and 10 rebounds in a loss to Michigan State.
In six career games, Jasmine Thomas has averaged 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists, while hitting 35.3 percent of her three-point field goals. She has totaled double-digit scoring in four of the six contests with a career-best coming last year against Michigan State with 14 points.
Karima Christmas is coming off notching 13 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals and one blocked shot at Michigan State last year. She responded with 13 points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists in the first round against Hampton in 2010. Over her last three NCAA Tournament games, Christmas has averaged 11.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals.
Senior Keturah Jackson had one double-figure scoring game in the NCAA Tournament over her career as she notched 10 points against Texas A&M as a sophomore before registering a career-high 13 points on Saturday against Hampton. She hit 6-of-6 field goals.
