2019 ACC WBB: Duke exits postseason tourney, falls to FSU

Blue Devils season is over

TheACC.com

Peter Koutroumpis

editor@trianglesportsnet.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Duke’s season ended in second-round play at the 2019 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday.

The No. 11 seeded Blue Devils left points on the floor in an eventual 51-41 shortfall to No. 6 seed Florida State (23-7).

The Seminoles defeated Duke for the first time in eight ACC Tournament meetings, while Duke slipped to 48-34 all-time in ACC postseason play and 37-13 all-time versus FSU.

One night after Duke shot better than 55 percent as a team and tied an ACC Tournament record with 12 made 3-pointers in a 86-64 win over Pitt in the opening round of play, the Seminoles limited the Blue Devils to  29-percent shooting, including 2-of-12 from 3-point range.

FSU blocked eight shots and held a 42-29 rebounding advantage over the Blue Devils.

Duke finished the season at 15-15 overall.

What they said

Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie

“They played a different defense. It was a totally different game. It wasn’t a game for 3s; it was a game for driving and getting to the free-throw line and attacking. You have to be able to play any type of game. It would be nice to get some transition 3s and make a few. But if that’s what we’re going to hang our hat on, that’s going to give you ups and downs.

TheACC.com

“We needed to rebound. You see the rebounding stats. They’re very clear. We have nobody on the whole team — six are the most anyone has on the team. So, it’s a very poor rebounding night. It was a blue-collar game. Offense sells tickets. That’s what happened last night. Defense and rebounding win championships, and that was evident in this game tonight.”

They have to take the experience — obviously it’s lessons learned, things to be worked on, playing off ball, cuts to get open, playing off the bounce. It’s not always a game of catch-and-shoot. It’s a different game. You’ve got to be able to play off the bounce. That’s one of the things I appreciate so much about Haley’s game. She’ll catch and shoot, but she’ll play off the bounce. And that’s one of the reasons why Haley had 17 points.

“That’s one of the reasons why she was a leader and attacking in that game. She certainly drew excellent defense. But those are skill sets that need to be developed and given over time of experience. So Onome (Okinbode-James) learning, Miela (Goodchild) learning as well, Jade (Williams) as well. Jade had some opportunities that she’ll be better for in the future in terms of finishing on the block. So, there’s no question there were different areas to look for for offense. This game was going to be basically a 60-or-below game. It wasn’t going to be great offense. That’s not the way tournaments work. You’re playing back to back. You’re playing in a row. You’re playing in a situation where people know each other pretty well. So once you get deeper into this kind of tournament it’s harder — it gets a little bit more difficult. It gets a little more defensive-oriented. And, again, some of the other things we talk about need to happen.”

Team Leaders

Florida State

Points: Kiah Gillespie 15

Rebounds: Kiah Gillespie 12

Assists: Nicki Ekhomu 4

Duke

Points: Haley Gorecki 17

Rebounds: Leaonna Odom 6

Assists: Haley Gorecki 17

Box score notes

Halftime: 23-19, FSU

Ties: 2

Lead Changes: 0

Largest Leads: FSU 12 (4th – 7:12)

FSU led for: 36:45

Duke led for: 0:00

Game was tied for: 2:50

Peter Koutroumpis: 401-323-8960, @pksport