Duke Makes Fourth Straight Elite Eight Appearance; Face Top-seeded LSU On Monday

3/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

By: Duke Sports Information

March 27, 2005

Game 36 - Louisiana State

#7/8 Duke (31-4, 12-2 ACC) vs. #2/4 Louisiana State (32-2, 14-0 SEC)
March 28, 2005  9:00 PM  ESPN
Chattanooga, Tenn.  McKenzie Arena (11,218)

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MEDIA INFORMATION
Series Record: Series tied 1-1
Duke Head Coach: Gail Goestenkors
Career Record: 333-92 (13th Year)
LSU Head Coach: Pokey Chatman
Career Record: 32-2 in first season
Radio: WDNC AM 620
Steve Barnes (pxp), Missy Anderson (color)
Television: ESPN with Mike Patrick (pxp), Anne Meyers (color), Mark Jones (sideline)
Online Livestats: www.GoDuke.com
Tickets: UTC Ticket Office: 1-423-425-5285
Rankings: DU- 7th in AP; 8th ESPN/USA Today
LSU - 2nd in AP; 4th in ESPN/USA Today

- Quick Facts -

- Duke in NCAA Tournament Action-

Appearances 12
`87, `95, `96, `97, `98, `99, `00, `01, `02, `03, `04, `05
All-Time Record 30-11 (.732)
Regional App./Record 8/9-4
`98, `99, `00, `01, `02, `03, `04, `05
Final Four App. 3 (`99,`02, `03)
Final Four Semifinals 1-2
National Championship 0-1
Overtime in NCAAs 0-1

NCAA Tournament Regional Final Schedule (Chattanooga, Tenn.)

Sunday, March 27
1:45-2:00 PM - Duke News Conference
2:05-2:20 PM - Duke One-on-One Interviews
Coach remains on dais
2:35-2:50 PM - LSU News Conference
2:55-3:10 PM - LSU One-on-One Interviews
Coach remains on dais

Monday, March 28
6:00 p.m. - Credential Distribution
7:30 p.m. - Doors Open To Public
9:00 p.m. - Duke vs. LSU
Postgame Interviews to follow

Duke Makes Fourth Straight Elite Eight Appearance; Face Top-seeded LSU On Monday...

Second-seeded Duke (31-4) is making its fourth straight Elite Eight appearance and will take on top-seeded Louisiana State (32-2) on Monday at 9:00 p.m., for the right to advance to the NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis, Ind. The contest will be aired live on ESPN with Mike Patrick (pxp), Anne Meyers (color) and Mark Jones (sideline) calling the action. It will also be aired on WDNC AM 620 with Steve Barnes (pxp) and Missy Anderson (color) doing the broadcast.

Duke, ranked seventh in the Associated Press and eighth in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll, will be going for its fourth NCAA Final Four appearance in school history. LSU is currently ranked second in the Associated Press and fourth in the coaches poll.

The winner of the Duke/LSU contest will face the winner of the North Carolina/Baylor game in the NCAA Final Four on April 3. The Final Four will be played at the RCA Dome, which seats 37,263 fans.

Noting The Blue Devils...

Duke owns a 6-2 record in regional semifinal action and a 3-2 record in regional final play ... When scoring 70 or more points, Duke is 23-0 this season and is 27-0 when outrebounding its opponent ... the Blue Devils will go for their 13th victory against a ranked opponent on Monday vs. second-ranked LSU... Duke improved to 12-0 in NCAA Tournament first round games with its win versus Canisius ... Caitlin Howe continues to rehab her knee and had shoulder surgery on Mar. 16 due to severe tendonitis ... Howe will not return for the NCAA Tournament ... Alison Bales has blocked more shots (133) than Duke's opponents (109) ... Bales' 133 blocks is a new ACC record and she is 19 away from tying the NCAA record of 152 ... Duke now owns a new NCAA record with 263 blocks this season ... Jessica Foley is writing a diary for www.GoDuke.com and www.espn.com.

A Look At LSU...

Louisiana State enters the Elite Eight as one of the hottest teams in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers own a 32-2 record and have won their three NCAA Tournament games by an average of 36.3 points. LSU is led by All-America's Seimone Augustus (19.9 points, 4.5 rebounds) and Temeka Johnson (10.3 points, 265 assists). Head Coach Pokey Chatman is in her first year as head coach with LSU.

The Series With LSU...

Duke and LSU own a 1-1 series record. LSU won the first meeting in the NCAA Tournament as the Tigers won, 79-66, 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.

Duke vs. The SEC...

The Blue Devils own a career record of 18-10 against Southeastern Conference opponents-- Alabama (0-1), Arkansas (2-1), Auburn (2-0), Florida (2-1), Georgia (3-0), Kentucky (2-0), LSU (1-1), Mississippi State (1-0), South Carolina (1-1), Tennessee (2-4) and Vanderbilt (2-1). In NCAA Tournament play, Duke owns a 6-4 record against SEC opponents, but has won four out of the last five contests: Alabama (0-1), Arkansas (1-1), Tennessee (1-1), Georgia (3-0), LSU (0-1) and South Carolina (1-0).

A Depth Issue...

In one of the most remarkable coaching jobs in her 13 years at Duke, Head Coach Gail Goestenkors has led the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight for the fourth straight year and 31 victories. In what was supposed to be a down year for Duke after losing Alana Beard, Iciss Tillis, Vicki Krapohl and Lindsey Harding, Goestenkors has led Duke to marks that nobody thought was possible.

Among dealing with the loss of the All-America's and two point guards, Duke has gone with a roster of seven or eight for most of the season. In the three games in the NCAA Tournament, Duke has played practically six or seven players as freshman Laura Kurz has averaged only 12.0 minutes a game. Four Blue Devils are averaging 29.7 minutes or more-- Wanisha Smith (37.0), Monique Currie (35.3), Mistie Williams (33.7) and Wynter Whitley (29.7) in the tournament.

Bales' Swat Club...

In three games so far in the NCAA Tournament, 6-7 center Alison Bales has blocked 15 shots, which ranks as the ninth-best NCAA Tournament output in its history. In comparing the record over three games, Bales owns the second-best ledger behind Jordan Adams' 17 in 2003. Over her two-year career, Bales has 20 blocks in five NCAA Tournament games.

Two of the top shot-blockers in the nation will battle in the middle on Monday as Bales, who has 133 blocks, will go up against freshman Sylvia Fowles (93).

Top Defenses On Showcase Monday...

Two of the nation's top-four defenses will be on showcase Monday in Chattanooga, Tenn. Duke allows only 33.2 percent shooting and 55.9 points per game, while LSU allows only 33.8 percent of its opponents field goals and 52.0 points per game. Duke ranks third in the nation in field goal percentage defense, while LSU is fourth. In scoring defense, LSU is fifth and Duke is sixth.

Vying For Four...

Duke is going for its fourth NCAA Final Four appearance over the last seven years. If the Blue Devils advance, they will join only five teams which have advanced to four or more Final Four's-- Tennessee (15), Louisiana Tech (9), Connecticut (8), Georgia (5) and Stanford (5).

Duke As A No. 2 Seed; Versus The No. 1 Seed...

For the third time in school history, Duke is seeded second in the NCAA Tournament. Back in 1998 and 2000, the Blue Devils were seeded No. 2. In 1998, Duke advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight and in 2000 to the NCAA Sweet 16. The Blue Devils own an 8-2 record as a No. 2 seed. The Blue Devils have faced one No. 1 seed in the NCAA Elite Eight, which was Tennessee in 1999 and the Blue Devils won 69-63. Duke has faced three No. 1 seeds in the final four and National Championship games and are 0-3 in those contests.

Four No. 2 seeds have won the NCAA Championship over the years-- Tennessee (1987), Louisiana Tech (1988), Texas Tech (1993) and Connecticut (2004).

In The NCAA Tournament...

Duke has posted the third-best win total in the last seven years of the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils own a 23-6 mark and rank only behind Connecticut (32-2) and Tennessee (26-6). The Blue Devils are one of only three teams (Tennessee & Connecticut) that have advanced to the Sweet 16 for the last eight consecutive years.

On The Boards...

Duke has outrebounded its opponents by a 13.0 clip over the three games so far in the Tournament. When the Blue Devils have outrebounded their opponent they own a 27-0 record in those games.

Common Opponents...

Duke and LSU own four common opponents-- Maryland, Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee and Liberty. LSU defeated Maryland (75-67), Georgia (76-52 and 79-65), Auburn (57-52 and 62-57), Liberty (90-48) and split with Tennessee (won 68-58 and lost 65-57).

The Blue Devils defeated Tennessee (59-57), Liberty (83-48), Auburn (80-61), Georgia (63-57) and Maryland (60-57, 60-49 and 74-44).

Williams Playing Big For Blue Devils...

Junior Mistie Williams has come to play in the NCAA Tournament so far as the 6-3 post player has averaged 15.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and has hit 59.4 percent of her field goals. She has also hit 9-of-12 free throws in the games. Williams notched her third straight game with double-figure points against Georgia, which marks the first time since early January that she has scored 10 or more points in three consecutive games. She is coming off registering her eighth double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds vs. Georgia.

Point Guard Stepping Up...

The Blue Devils' freshman point guard, Wanisha Smith, has made remarkable strides this season and has played great in three games of the NCAA Tournament. Smith has averaged 8.0 points, 4.3 assists, 2.7 steals and hit 3-of-6 three-pointers. Her assist/turnover ratio is 13/8. In the Sweet 16 versus Georgia, Smith scored 10 points, tied a career high with six rebounds, tied a career-high with five steals and had three assists in 40 minutes. She is now tied for third on Duke's single season assist list with 154, along with Alana Beard.

Duke Painting The Floor...

So far in the NCAA Tournament, Duke has pounded the ball inside and owns a 108-52 points in the paint advantage. The Blue Devils have shot only 17 three-pointers and have hit six of them. Duke is coming off attempting a season-low four three-pointers against Georgia.

Bales Shows Offensive Firepower...

Sophomore Alison Bales has showed more offensive firepower in the NCAA Tournament than she has shown all season long. The 6-7 center has called for the ball and finished in the clutch situations. Over the last two games, Bales has scored 22 of her 26 points in the second half to lead the Blue Devils to victory.

In the tournament, Bales is averaging 11.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 5.0 blocks and hit 51.9 percent of her field goals.

Duke To Face Former Blue Devil...

When the Blue Devils face the Tigers on Monday, they will see a familiar face on the bench as senior Crystal White attended Duke in 2000-01 as a freshman and then played seven games as a sophomore before transferring to LSU. White is in her third year with the Tigers. While at Duke, White saw limited action. She played with Monique Currie and Wynter Whitley in the fall of 2000 before transferring. Duke ended up advancing to the NCAA Final Four that season.

Advantage In Height For The Blue Devils...

Duke's current starting lineup combined makes up a little over the height of three basketball goals with 6-7 Alison Bales, 6-3 Mistie Williams, 6-2 Wynter Whitley, 6-0 Monique Currie and 5-11 Wanisha Smith. No team left that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 had a starting lineup that could match Duke, 30 feet - 11 inches, with the next closest was Liberty at 30 feet - three inches.

The Blue Devils have featured a lineup with 6-5 Chante Black in place of Smith at times over the first two NCAA games, which stands 31 feet - five inches. In a game recently, Black was called for offensive goal-tending after touching the ball on the rim against Miami on Feb. 24 in Durham.

In comparing the LSU and Duke rosters, six of the eight Blue Devils that have seen action in the first three games stand 6-0 or taller. The Tigers boast a starting lineup of 29 feet, six inches, but have two 6-5 players coming off the bench in Sylvia Fowles and Crystal White.

Mistie Williams Nets 1,000 Career Points...

Mistie Williams became the 19th player in Duke history to register 1,000 career points against Georgia on Saturday as she collected 14 points. Williams notched the 1,000th point at the 1:34 mark in the second half and now has 1,002 points for her career.

Over her three years at Duke, Williams has improved her scoring in each. During her freshman year she scored 256 points for an average of 6.9, as a sophomore she registered 341 for a 10.0 per game average and this season has averaged 11.6.

Earlier this season, Monique Currie posted her 1,000 point against Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 26.

Last Time Out In The Regional...

Duke registered four players in double-figure scoring as the Blue Devils downed Georgia, 63-57, on Saturday to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight. Led by Monique Currie, who collected 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Mistie Williams added 14 points and 13 rebounds as Wanisha Smith and Alison Bales each had 10.

The Blue Devils were ahead by five with 6:21 remaining, but Georgia cut it to two twice before finally tying it at 54 on Tasha Humphrey's putback with 3:04 to go. Jessica Foley and Williams scored around two missed free throws by the Lady Bulldogs to put Duke ahead for good.

Humphrey gave Georgia some life at the end with a three with 36.1 left to make it 59-57, but that was the last time the Lady Bulldogs scored. They intentionally fouled Currie to get the ball back, but she made all four free throw attempts down the stretch.

Duke also beat Georgia in the teams' two previous meetings, both in the NCAA tournament. Humphrey, the Southeastern Conference freshman of the year, had 16 points and 13 rebounds. Janese Hardrick added 12 points and Cori Chambers 10 for Georgia.

Last Time Against LSU...

Alana Beard's Duke career is off to a great start. The former Louisiana high school player of the year scored 20 points to lead the No. 5 Blue Devils to a 56-45 victory over No. 7 LSU in the championship game of the Women's Sports Foundation tournament on Nov. 11, 2001.

Beard, the tournament MVP, added eight rebounds for Duke (2-0), which held the Lady Tigers to two field goals over the final 10 minutes of the first half. The recruiting battle for Beard came down to Duke and Louisiana Tech. LSU, she said, was never in the picture.

Marie Ferdinand scored 22 points for LSU (1-1) on 8-of-18 shooting, while the rest of the Lady Tigers shot just 8-of-38. LSU also had 19 turnovers. Beard scored six points early in the second half to put Duke up 33-24, and LSU got no closer than eight the rest of the way.

LSU was able to outrebound the taller Duke team early in the first half and led 15-11. Duke scored six straight points, five by Beard. After Ferdinand tied it with a 12-foot jumper, Duke took the lead for good on baskets by Michele Matyasovsky, Beard and Rochelle Parent.

Beard scored seven points late in the first half to lead the Blue Devils to a 23-17 halftime lead. Duke didn't shoot much better than LSU, hitting 19 of 57 shots.

Among The NCAA Leaders...

In the NCAA rankings, LSU is fourth in field goal percentage defense (33.8), fifth in scoring defense (52.2), sixth in scoring margin (20.0), ninth in field goal percentage (46.9) and eighth in blocked shots (6.3). Seimone Augustus ranks 12th in scoring (19.9), 24th in field goal percentage (54.2) and 14th in free throw percentage (86.8), while Temeka Johnson is second in assists (7.6) and Sylvia Fowles is 50th in rebounds (9.0) and 15th in blocks (2.8).

Duke ranks first in blocks (7.6), second in assists (18.7), third in field goal percentage defense (33.2), fifth in rebounding margin (8.8) and fifth in scoring offense (77.3). Monique Currie is 43rd in scoring (17.6) and Alison Bales is sixth in blocks (3.7). All stats are prior to the regional semifinal games.

Consecutive Appearances...

The Blue Devils are coming off making their eighth straight NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and now are appearing in their fourth consecutive Elite Eight. Only Connecticut, Tennessee and Duke have current streaks of seven or more in the Sweet 16.

In advancing to the Elite Eight, only Tennessee and Connecticut own streaks of three or better. Duke is one of only eight teams competing in its 11th straight NCAA Tournament-- Tennessee (24), Louisiana Tech (24), Stanford (18), UConn (17), Texas Tech (16), Purdue (12), Duke (11) and Georgia (11).

Whitley Makes First Starts In NCAA Tournament...

Duke's lone senior, Wynter Whitley, made her first start of the season as the Blue Devils opened the NCAA Tournament against Canisius and posted a season-high 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal in a season-high 31 minutes. Since then Whitley has started each of the three games during the tournament.

In three starts in the NCAA Tournament, Whitley has averaged 8.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals. Whitley started the first 20 games as a freshman and her start versus Canisius was the first since Dec. 8, 2002 against St. Joseph's, during her sophomore season. Whitley played the No. 2 guard position the last three games at certain times for the first time in her career with the limited play of Jessica Foley.

Whitley has scored double-figures seven times this season and four have come over the last 11 games.

Jessica Foley Misses First Games Of Season...

A streak of 98 consecutive games played came to an end on March 20 as junior Jessica Foley missed the Canisius and Boston College games due to severe tendonitis in her left foot. The tendonitis has been bothering her since the ACC Tournament on March 4-7.

Foley came back to come off the bench against Georgia and played 22 minutes and scored five points, while grabbing one rebound. She hit a key three-pointer at the 9:15 mark in the first half to put Duke back ahead again, 15-14. Then in the second half, Foley scored a layup off an assist from Monique Currie to give Duke a 56-54 advantage with 2:51 remaining.

The loss of Foley dropped the Blue Devils to only seven active players on the roster. On the season, Foley had started 32 of 35 games averaging 11.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and hit a school-record 67 three-pointers.