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Duke Women's Basketball Season Review
4/8/2002 1:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
April 8, 2002
Season Review
#3/4 Duke (31-4, 16-0 ACC)
NCAA Final Four
NCAA East Region Champions
ACC Regular Season & Tournament Champions
Game Notes PDF Format
Eight Truly Was Enough...
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When you talk about small numbers but large accomplishments, the 2001-02 Duke women's basketball team would fit in right there with the best. The Blue Devils started the season with 10 players and a very young team with only one senior, two juniors, five sophomores and two freshman.
Duke opened with a bang, knocking off seventh-ranked Texas Tech in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic, but then went through some growing pains. The Blue Devils lost two games to unranked opponents and then assistant coach Joanne Boyle was stricken with an AVM (an ateriovenous malformation).
Another shocker came in the first week of December as two sophomores, Rometra Craig and Crystal White, decided to transfer from Duke right before the team left for its first ACC contest of the year at Virginia. Down two players and an assistant coach, the Blue Devils would have to face the critics who said they couldn't win with only eight players.
Boy, did Duke prove them wrong-- The Blue Devils came out of Virginia with a 34-point victory and steamrolled in to a six-game winning streak heading into Christmas break. Just two days after break ended, Duke faced second-ranked Tennessee and lost, which proved as an eye-opening experience.
The Blue Devils then went on one of the best streaks in the history of the ACC. Duke won its first four ACC contests by an average margin of 25.0 points. For the month of January, sophomore Alana Beard was selected WBCA National Player of the Month after leading Duke to an 8-0 record and averaging 22.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.6 blocks. The Blue Devils also welcomed Boyle back to the bench in January. The month of February was no different as the Blue Devils registered only the second perfect 16-0 mark in ACC history.
During the season, Duke dominated the weekly ACC honors as Beard was named ACC Player of the Week five times, while freshmen Monique Currie (five) and Wynter Whitley (once) were selected ACC Rookie of the Week six of the 15 weeks.
The Blue Devils then headed to Greensboro, N.C., for the ACC Tournament in their home away from home-- The Greensboro Coliseum. Duke had recorded an 8-0 record in previous games played there and went on to improve the unbelievable mark to 11-0 after downing Florida State, Virginia and North Carolina to win its third consecutive ACC Tournament title. Currie was selected MVP of the tournament after registering career highs in points (30), rebounds (12) and free throws made (14) in the championship game.
In the week after the tournament, the honors kept coming in as four Blue Devils were selected All-ACC-- Beard (first), Tillis (first), Currie (second) and Sheana Mosch (HM). Beard & Tillis were named to the ACC All-Defensive team and Currie & Whitley to the All-Freshman team, while Beard was named Player of the Year and Gail Goestenkors was selected Coach of the Year.
Next, Duke entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed for the second consecutive year. The Blue Devils were placed in the East Region and made quick work of Norfolk State and TCU before traveling 25 miles down the road to the Entertainment & Sports Arena. Duke may have found a second home away from home as the Blue Devils knocked off Texas and South Carolina to advance to the second NCAA Final Four in school history.
The Blue Devils proved all the critics wrong with the accomplishment and were set to travel to San Antonio, Texas, for with a date with second-ranked Oklahoma. The game didn't go the way Duke wanted, but it was still a true season to remember.
In just two seasons, Beard has established herself as one of the best players in college basketball. She became the first ACC women's or men's player to notch over 600 points, 200 rebounds, 150 assists, 100 steals and 20 blocks in a single season.
Duke accomplished many things no other Blue Devil squad had done before-- went a perfect 19-0 in ACC contests, won a third consecutive ACC Tournament title, broke 24 school records including the mark for wins with 31 and they did it with only eight players.
Noting The Blue Devils...
Krista Gingrich became the first women's player from a North Carolina school to advance to two Final Four's in a career ... Duke finished 8-2 this season against ranked opponents ... the Blue Devils went 20-0 when holding opponents to under 40 percent shooting ... Iciss Tillis lead ACC post players in assists (94) ... Sheana Mosch heads into her senior season needing only nine more points for 1,000 in her career ... the Blue Devils ranked second in the nation in scoring offense (83.5) ...Duke has shot 50 percent or better in 15 games this season ... Junior's Michele Matyasovsky and Sheana Mosch each earned NCAA East Region All-Tournament honors, while Alana Beard was named MVP after defeating South Carolina and Texas.
One of Best Ever...
Alana Beard became the first ACC men's or women's player to post over 600 points, 200 rebounds, 150 assists, 100 steals and 20 blocks in a season. She finished the season with 694 points, 213 rebounds, 154 assists, 114 steals and 25 blocks.
Through other women's sports information contacts sending information back, only two other women's basketball players have ever notched numbers like this-- Sheryl Swoopes in 1991-92 (690 points, 285 rebounds, 152 assists, 110 steals, 32 blocks at Texas Tech) and Lynette Woodard in 1978-81 (881 points, 389 rebounds, 177 steals, 165 assists, 35 blocks and in 1980-81 - 758 points, 310 rebounds, 152 steals, 170 assists, 43 blocks at Kansas).
School Records Broken in 2001-02...
Duke broke numerous school records this season and here is a listing of each one...
Team Season Records * Victories - 31 * Points - 2,922 * Field Goals Made - 1,080 * Field Goal Percentage - .490 * Free Throws Made - 576 * Free Throw Percentage - .760 *** ACC Record * Assists - 678 * Best Won/Loss Percentage - .886 * Most ACC wins - 16 * Fewest ACC losses - 0 * Best ACC Won/Loss Percentage - 1.000 * Most Consecutive Season Wins - 22 *** ACC Record * Most Consecutive ACC Wins - 16 * Most Consecutive Wins Away - 12 * Largest Average Winning Margin - 19.2 * Best ACC Start - 16-0Team Game Records * Field Goal Percentage - .672 vs. Davidson, 11-24-01
Individual Season Records * Points - Alana Beard (694) * Field Goals Made - Alana Beard (275) * Field Goals Attempted - Alana Beard (481) * Steals - Alana Beard (114) * Double Figure Scoring Games - Alana Beard (34)
Individual Game Records * Free Throw Percentage - Monique Currie (1.000, 14 of 14)
Going Through Texas...
On its quest to San Antonio, Texas, Duke had to defeat two consecutive teams from Texas to advance to the Elite Eight. The Blue Devils downed TCU (76-66) in the second round and Texas (62-46) in the Sweet 16.
Revenge Once Again...
For the 10th time in the last 10 revenge games dating back to the 1999-00 season, Duke picked up a victory. The Blue Devils downed South Carolina in the East Region final, which was a rematch of the Nov. 25, 2001 game where South Carolina came in to Cameron Indoor Stadium and defeated the Blue Devils 87-81 in overtime. The loss broke Duke's string of nine-consecutive Duke Women's Basketball Classic titles and was the only home loss for Duke this season (15-1).
Looked Familiar To 1999...
The way the cards played out in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, everything looked like the NCAA Tournament of 1999. The Blue Devils advanced to the Final Four for the first time and appeared in the national championship game in 1999.
In the 1999 tournament, Duke played in the East Region in Greensboro, N.C., and in 2002 the Blue Devils once again played in the East Region and in the state of North Carolina. In 1999, Duke met Tennessee in the regional final, a team the Blue Devils lost to earlier in the season. In 2002, Duke defeated South Carolina in the East Region final, a team the Blue Devils lost to earlier this season. Both South Carolina and Tennessee were also SEC schools.
In The NCAA Tournament...
Duke has posted the third-best win total in the last four years of the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils own a 13-4 mark and rank only behind Connecticut (18-2) and Tennessee (14-4) and is tied with Purdue (13-3).
The Blue Devils are one of only three teams (Tennessee & Connecticut) that have advanced to the Sweet 16 for the last five consecutive years.
In The Final Four...
Duke owns a 2-1 record in regional final games. The Blue Devils made their first trip back in 1998 before falling to Arkansas in the West Region (77-72). Then in 1999, Duke defeated Tennessee (69-63) to advance to its first Final Four in San Jose, Calif. In Final Four games, Duke is 1-0 as the Blue Devils defeated Georgia (81-69) in 1999, before falling to Purdue in the National Championship game (62-45).
Key Guard Play...
Last season, point guard's Krista Gingrich and Vicki Krapohl played a combined 239 minutes and hit only 10 three-pointers. Each were key members of Duke's record-setting team in 2002 as they played a combined 1,265 minutes and hit 99 three-pointers. The long range duo hit 47 percent of their treys for the season and posted a 1.8 assist/turnover ratio (182 assists/99 turnovers).
Of Duke's eight players, all hit at least eight 3-pointers with seven hitting 10 or more.
Kodak All-America/ESPN The Magazine Awards...
Sophomore Alana Beard became the third Duke player in school history to be selected to the Kodak All-America team announced at the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. Beard joined Georgia Schweitzer and Michele VanGorp as the only Blue Devils to have earned the honor.
Beard was selected along with Chantelle Anderson (Vanderbilt), Sue Bird (UConn), Swin Cash (UConn) Stacey Dales (Oklahoma), Sheila Lambert (Baylor), Kelly Mazzante (Penn State), Nichole Powell (Stanford), Diana Taurasi (UConn) and LaToya Thomas (Mississippi State).
The Shreveport, La., native also received the Shooting Guard of the Year award at the Suzuki ESPN The Magazine's College Basketball Awards show. Beard won the award over Taurasi and Mazzante. Fellow teammate Iciss Tillis was nominated for the Power Forward of the Year, but Mississippi State's LaToya Thomas won the award.
Alana Beard, One of the Best Players in the Nation... Sophomore Alana Beard registered one of the most impressive seasons in Duke women's basketball history and down the stretch stepped up her game even more. In the final 11 games of the season, Beard scored 20 or more points in nine games, averaging 22.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.8 steals and 0.9 blocks. She hit 56 percent of her field goals in the stretch. Beard lead the ACC with 17 games with 20 or more points scored and scored in double-figures in the final 22 consecutive games. Of the 22 straight contests, Beard recorded 20 or more points in 13 of those games.
Beard scored 694 points this season, which is the highest single-season total in school history, breaking Chris Moreland's record of 691 in 1985-86. Beard is only the third player in Duke history to reach the 600-point mark in a season.
Duke In The First Round...
Dating back to the 1998 season, Duke has outscored its first round opponent by a 32.4 clip. This was reinforced against Norfolk State with a 47-point victory. The Blue Devils have increased their margin of victory each of the last five years (25 vs. Middle Tennessee St., 28 vs. Holy Cross, 29 vs. Campbell, 33 vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay and 47 vs. Norfolk State).
ACC & The Number One Seeds...
Duke joined Virginia as the only ACC schools to be selected as No. 1 seeds in back-to-back seasons as Virginia was selected in 1990 & 1991. The Blue Devils are also the only ACC school to advance to the Final Four since North Carolina won the NCAA Championship in 1993.
Winning Streak...
Duke registered a school record 22-game winning streak during the season. The previous school record was a 15 in 1998-99 as Duke advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the first time in school history. The Blue Devils have also won 24 games in a row against ACC opponents, which is the longest streak in ACC history (previous was 22 by Virginia in the 1992-93 through 1993-94 seasons).
More on School Records...
Duke set school records in field goal percentage and free throw percentage. The Blue Devils led the ACC with a .494 field goal percentage, .390 three-point field goal percentage and .759 free throw percentage. The previous school record for each category was-- field goal percentage (.485 in 1995-96) and free throw percentage (.717 in 1996-97). The ACC record for free throw percentage in a season was .753 by Duke in 1999-2000.
The Blue Devils led the ACC in field goal percentage, free throw percentage and 3-point field goal percentage in 1999, 2000 and 2002. In the last 17 years, only Duke and Maryland (1988) have led the ACC in all three categories.
Currie Comes Alive With MVP Honors...
Freshman Monique Currie came alive in the ACC Tournament title game, setting career-highs in points (30), rebounds (12) and free throws made/attempted (14). Currie was selected MVP of the tournament after averaging 16.3 points, 9.3 rebounds (led tournament), 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals. She became only the second freshman to earn MVP honors (Deanna Tate of Maryland in 1986). The slashing guard posted a school-record 14 of 14 from the free throw line and hit 19 of 21 in the tournament.
In 34 games played, Currie scored double-figures 26 times and 20 or more points seven times.
Honors Keep Coming In...
Alana Beard became the first Duke player and only the third ACC player to be named first team Associated Press All-America, earned Kodak All-America and was named USBWA All-America this season. Nancy Lieberman listed the best at their positions prior to the ACC Tournament and Iciss Tillis was listed as the best power forward and Beard was the best shooting guard in the nation along with Diana Taurasi. Both Tillis and Beard were selected Kodak District II All-Americas.
The Number Crunch...
Check out some of the amazing numbers Duke has put up in recent years...
* Won 89 games the last three years (89-14, .864) and won 118 games the last four years (118-21, .849)
* Won 209 games the last eight years (209-56, .789)
* In ACC action, posted a 44-8 mark the last four years and had a 38-2 home record in ACC action the last five years
* Recorded a 74-6 record at home the last five years
* Only team in ACC to post 20 overall wins and 12 or more ACC wins in each of the last five years
All-ACC Honors...
The All-ACC honors were released with Alana Beard and Iciss Tillis selected to the first team and Monique Currie the second team. It marks the third year in a row Duke had two players selected on the first team and the second consecutive year with three selected to the overall All-ACC squad.
Beard and Tillis were each named to the All-ACC Defensive team, while Currie and Wynter Whitley earned All-ACC Freshman honors.
One of Youngest Starting Five...
For most of the season, Duke started one of the youngest lineups in the nation with three sophomores (Beard, Tillis and Krapohl), one freshman (Currie) and one junior (Matyasovsky). During one stretch, the Blue Devils started all freshmen and sophomores.
Beard Exploded Against Maryland...
Sophomore Alana Beard broke out with a career-high 35 points on Jan. 2 against Maryland. Beard hit a career-high 15 of 22 field goals and missed notching a triple-double by two assists. The 35 points missed the school record by two. She grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds and dished out eight assists in 35 minutes of action.
The Senior Class...
The 2001-02 senior class of Krista Gingrich posted some incredible numbers. Gingrich was part of 118 overall and 56 ACC victories in her four years. The 118 victories for a senior class is the winningest in school history. The 56 ACC victories is also a school record.
Everyone Contributes...
Since the Blue Devil roster was cut to eight seven games into the season, Duke had all eight players score in 15 of the remaining contests. In 16 of the 28 games, Duke recorded four or more players in double-figure scoring. Look at the numbers Duke posted since the transfers-- scoring (83.6), field goal percentage (.493), three-point field goal percentage (.409), free throw percentage (.766), assists a game (19.8), steals a game (11.0) and blocks a game (3.5).
A Perfect 19-0 ACC Mark...
Duke accomplished something no other ACC school has done going 19-0 in ACC action this season. The Blue Devils went 16-0 during the regular season and 3-0 in the ACC Tournament. Only one other ACC squad has gone 16-0 in ACC action as Virginia accomplished it 1994-95. Duke is only the fifth ACC team in history to go undefeated during the regular season -- NCSU (9-0 in 1977-78), NCSU (9-0 in 1979-80), Virginia (14-0 in 1990-91) and Virginia (16-0 in 1994-95).
The Big Three...
Three of the top players in the ACC this season wore Duke on their uniforms-- Alana Beard, Iciss Tillis and Monique Currie. The trio averaged 48.4 points and 20.1 rebounds combined for Duke.
The "Big Three" all ranked among the top six in the ACC scoring. They became only the second threesome from the same school to finish in the top seven in scoring in the ACC in the same season since 1996-97 (UNC had three in top seven). The school record for highest trio of scorers is 51.1 in 1985-86 (Chris Moreland-23.0, Katie Meier-14.6 and Connie Goins-13.5).
Beard and Currie were also the only two ACC players to rank in the top 11 in scoring, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and rebounding.
One of the Best Freshmen...
Freshman Monique Currie notched some incredible numbers in her freshman season. She totaled the second best season point total for a freshman with 502 and her nine double-figure rebound games was a Duke freshman record.
Listed below are where Currie ranks in the freshman season record charts-- second place in points (502), third in rebounding average (6.0), second in rebounds (209), fourth in assists (90), fifth in blocks (24), fifth in steals (50), first in free throws made (138), first in free throws attempted (179), tied for first in double-figure scoring games (26) and first in double-figure rebound games (9).
Miss Versatility...
Duke received key inside and outside play this season from Iciss Tillis. The sophomore has become one of the most versatile players in the nation with her outstanding 3-point ability, post-up moves and defensive presence. She recorded double-figures scoring in 27 of her 34 games played. Tillis lead the team with 30 blocks and third with 30 three-point field goals made.
For the season in the ACC statistics, she ranked tied for sixth in scoring (14.3), tied for second in rebounding (8.0), second in steals (2.33), sixth in blocks (0.88), second in defensive rebounds (6.03) and seventh in field goal percentage (.452).
In ACC games only, Tillis ranked fourth in scoring (16.4), third in rebounding (8.2), third in steals (2.25), tied for sixth in blocks (.88), second in defensive rebounds (6.25) and fourth in field goal percentage (.505).
A Milestone Maker...
Sophomore Alana Beard became the 15th Duke player to register 1,000 points on Feb. 24 against FSU. She became the third-fastest in ACC history and second-fastest in Duke history to reach the 1,000 point mark-- Andrea Stinson (NCSU, 42 games), Chris Moreland (Duke, 50 games) and Genia Beasley (NCSU, 56 games).
In the ACC rankings, Beard ranked first in scoring (19.8), tied for 10th in rebounding (6.1), first in field goal percentage (.572), second in assists (4.40), first in steals (3.26), sixth in free throw percentage (.753) and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.66).
Leading ACC Stats...
In ACC games only, Duke finished the season leading 12 categories-- scoring offense, scoring defense, scoring margin, free throw percentage, field goal percentage, field goal percentage defense, 3-point field goal percentage, rebounding defense, assists, steals, assist/turnover ratio and defensive rebounds.
Another Honor...
Head coach Gail Goestenkors became the all-time winningest coach at Duke on Dec. 16 in the 90-58 victory over UNC Greensboro. She moved ahead of Debbie Leonard, who recorded a 213-189 record in 15 years at Duke.
Coach G currently has a 237-82 record in 10 seasons. Goestenkors became the third-quickest ACC coach to notch 200 victories last season in just 277 games (Kay Yow - 257, Chris Weller - 262).
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