Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus #16 Baylor on November 3, 2025 at 12 p.m.
Women's Basketball
vs #16 Baylor
Quotes: Duke 92, Clemson 37
1/26/2011 10:02:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Duke Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie
Opening Statement:
"Just a really dominant first half, terrific first half, very dominant. Lot of contributions from many, many people. Lot of intensity and a terrific defensive effort to hold any team to 12 in the first half. I thought we got a whole lot better. I thought all three ladies up here (Jasmine Thomas, Chelsea Gray and Krystal Thomas) were very aggressive. The assist total, we're trying to get that better. Looking at all sorts of good balance in terms of steals, assists and scoring and things of that nature. We got better, and we'll go from here."
On what the team learned after the 65-64 win at N.C. State and how they handled the comeback victory:
"So many things, and I know so many things on a personal level that I wouldn't even know. From a modeling standpoint and from showing them how to think, how to react, you know it's amazing to have three seniors with the leadership, ability and experience that these three seniors have. The willingness of the young players to absorb whatever they can and, of course, attack with their game. Philosophically, it's much stronger when you're seniors are sort of spreading the philosophy. I feel that a lot, so much with this group, that things have already been said."
On making the extra pass and how that helped the offense:
"Just making, really, the easy pass. An extra pass is kind of an easy pass. You can see it coming and you can spot your teammate, and I thought everybody did that. Jas[mine Thomas] leading us in assists there and Chelsea [Gray] doing a great job too, and I just think that makes us terribly difficult to defend. I think that we're so much better at 22 assists or higher, in that range. We're so much improved relative to our efficiency and also to how people guard us, putting more difficulty in their ability to guard us."
On how each game contributes to molding a team throughout the season:
"I think they're all part of the experience. N.C. State was an extremely interesting game for us. There was a lot that came out of that game from a perspective of thinking about who we are and what we want to do and how we're trying to be special along the way. All of these games are part of us getting better, and Monday's [game at No. 2 UConn] another opportunity. Obviously, [UConn is] a very good opponent; we've had some very good opponents, and they're a terrific opponent. But the bottom line is it's got to be about us. You can't change in midstream. You've got to be motivated for us to be the very best we can be. You've got to have that edge to you to want to do that. It can't' be because you're playing on a certain team. It has to be because you are and that's who you're looking to be. I would never take away N.C. State or any of these experiences...they all mean a lot."
On how UConn differs from the other top programs Duke has faced this year:
"The difference is, of course, the National Championships of the past of Connecticut puts them in a different sorority. They're in the National Championship world, but it's just two teams this year. They're very good, as you know, and we're very good. It's just two teams playing, and I think it's a great NCAA-type game. And we've had a lot of those this year, and I think it's important to have those on your schedule."
On how the freshmen have handled tough games and become poised:
"I think pretty well. You know, there's so many new experiences, and there has been some inconsistency, but I think they're doing pretty well with it. Sometimes we feel like we don't have any freshmen. I love poise in a team. Being able to handle something anytime, anywhere. I do think Connecticut provides that."
Clemson Head Coach Itoro Coleman
Opening statement:
"We actually weren't at our best today. I thought Duke did a really good job of pressing. That definitely bothered us and they did a really good job of transition defense. I don't know how many they scored off of our turnovers. They scored 39 points off of our turnovers. But they did a really good job defensively tonight. I thought they did really good, I mean, Duke's a good team."
On preparing for the press:
"Oh we prepared for it. We just didn't execute. I mean most of the teams that we've been playing this year have pressed us. And that's something that we go over everyday. A lot of the turnovers that we got were unforced and Duke would just take some of them out of our hands, but that bothered us a little bit tonight and we really couldn't get in sync on offense."
On what Clemson has done well on road games:
"I thought we guarded. We did a good job of coming from behind by executing and getting stops; rebounding. We had some key rebounds against Wake Forest that sent it into overtime and we were able to get out in transition a lot more than we did tonight. But, you know, the press, I think the press was a big part of the discrepancy, the points at the beginning. We didn't handle it well, at all. And I think that's just a compliment to Duke of how aggressive they were. And they did a good job the passing lanes."
On what Duke did well offensively in the first half:
"I think their defense definitely was the engine to their offense. Once you start hitting two or three of them and you just start feeling it and I thought they did. They were getting shooters open. A lot of times when we got in transition defense we didn't match up very well and they took advantage of that and they were knocking down the shots."
On what they changed in the second half:
"We did. I just thought we handled [the press] a lot better. Halftime we had a chance to talk about where the openings were and just took advantage of it. We were a little more settled in the second half. In the first half we weren't."
On what the team will learn from this game:
"This is going to be a learning experience for our team. Every game that we play is learning. And I felt like, prior to this game, we've been getting better. We've been getting better. It hasn't been showing up on the wins and losses, but we've been getting better. We've just got to continue to compete. I've always told my team this, 'If you compete, you play hard, then you always give yourself a chance.' In the first half I didn't think we did a good job of competing."
Duke Senior Krystal Thomas:
On looking forward to UConn:
"We just take it one game at a time. This is the ACC, this is our conference. Each game we play in this conference is going to be a tough game so there is not looking onto the next game. We have to take care of our conference first before we can do anything outside of our conference. This is the first step that we have to take care of before we can do anything in March."
On leading the freshmen:
"It started off the court. Making sure that the little things are taken care of off the court because those relay on the court. When you have chemistry off the court it makes it that much easier to take care of things once you get onto the court."
Duke Senior Jasmine Thomas:
On starting the game strong:
"It wasn't just something that we've been talking about since last game. We've been talking about that for awhile, getting off to a good start in games. I think our defensive intensity is what sparked that tonight."
On finding the offense:
"We've found our transition. I think that had a lot to do with why we shot so well. We were getting easy buckets, we were running the floor and moving the ball and finding the open player. That's something that we are not consistent with is transition offense."
On the leading freshman class:
"I think that is important. I think that because there are so many of them and all of them play as first years I think it's important for us, right now, as seniors, who are trying to accomplish things in our last chance to make sure that they are picking up things quickly. That if they don't understand that they can come to us and I think so far we have led by example and just being there whenever they need someone for advice or encouragement."
On Duke at its best:
"I would definitely not say this is Duke at its best. I mean we played a good 20 minutes. Our first half was great, but our second half shows where we're trying to mature and grow, not playing to the scoreboard. Once we play a full 40 minutes like that first half, that'll be Duke at its best.
Duke Freshmen Chelsea Gray:
On what she takes into the UConn game:
"When I get together with my team, they'll tell me all I need to know about anything. I trust my team and what they say."
Players Mentioned
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