Blue Devil Game Notes: Nebraska, Dec. 3, 7:30, Big10

12/2/2014 1:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: Duke Sports Information

Big Ten Network l Twitter l Live Stats l Live Audio

Game Information
What…………………………………………………………………Duke at Nebraska
Date………………………………………………………..Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014
Time……………………………………………………………………………..7:30 PM
Location……………………………………………………………..Lincoln, Nebraska
Venue………………………………………………….Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,000)
Where to Watch……………………………………………………..Big Ten Network
……………………………………………Kevin Kugler (PBP), Mary Murphy (Color)
Radio………………………………………Blue Devil IMG - on www.GoDuke.com
………………………………………..Steve Barnes (PXP), Morgan Patrick (Color)
Live Stats…………………………………………………………..www.GoDuke.com
Series Record………………………………………………………….Duke leads 1-0
Last Meeting………………..Duke won 53-45 on March 31, 2013 in Norfolk, Va.

Setting the Scene...
   Coming off suffering its first loss of the season, ninth-ranked Duke (5-1) will continue its tough stretch, traveling to 12th-ranked Nebraska (6-0) Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m., in Lincoln, Neb. The contest will be a part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
   The contest will be aired live on the Big Ten Network with Kevin Kugler (PBP) and Mary Murphy (Color) calling the action. It will also be carried live on the Blue Devil IMG Sports Network on www.GoDuke.com with Steve Barnes (PXP) and Morgan Patrick (Color) on the air.
   Duke is in the middle of a three-game stretch where the Blue Devils are playing three straight ranked opponents, including two consecutive on the road.

What is Next?...
   Duke will return home to host top-ranked South Carolina Sunday, Dec. 7 at 1:00 p.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium on ESPN2. The Blue Devils will open a four-game homestand.

Storylines/Other Blue Devil Notes...
   •   Elizabeth Williams took two charges against Stony Brook and now owns 21 over her career.
   •   The Blue Devils currently rank No. 1 nationally in rebounding margin (24.0) and are also averaging 20.0 offensive rebounds a game, which ranks second. Duke has averaged 24.3 offensive rebounds the last two games.
   •   Rebecca Greenwell is the only Blue Devil to score double-figures in all six games.
   •   At Texas A&M, Duke's freshmen scored 43 of 59 points, led by Rebecca Greenwell's career-high 23.
   •   Senior Amber Henson pulled down a career-high eight rebounds in a career-high 32 minutes at seventh-ranked Texas A&M. She has hit a three-pointer in back-to-back games.
   •   Rebecca Greenwell is the only freshman in the ACC to rank in the top 11 of both scoring and rebounding. Only three total players rank in the top 11 of both categories (Dearica Hamby of WFU & Sarah Imovbioh of UVA).
   •   The Blue Devils currently rank tied first in the ACC and 10th nationally with a 31.2 field goal percentage defense.
   •   Senior Ka'lia Johnson ranks second in the ACC with a 4.7 assist per game average.
   •   Duke has featured at least one player with a double-double in five of the six games this season (Texas A&M).
   •   Freshman Azurá Stevens currently ranks No. 1 in the ACC and seventh nationally with a 66.7 field goal percentage.
   •   In four of the six games, Duke has held its opponents to under 30.0 percent shooting with the exception being Old Dominion and Texas A&M.
    •   Duke is in a stretch of playing five games in 11 days, which started with the Marquette contest.
   •   Rebecca Greenwell and Sierra Calhoun have both hit four three-pointers in a game, which is tied fourth on the Duke freshman record books.
   •   Ka'lia Johnson's 13 assists at Old Dominion was tied for the third-most in a single game for the Blue Devils. It is also the most by an ACC player this season.
   • Rebecca Greenwell netted seven steals at Alabama, which is tied for the fourth most by a freshman in Blue Devil history.
   •   Elizabeth Williams had a double-digit scoring streak snapped at 12 games with her five points against Stony Brook.
   •   Joanne P. McCallie entered the 2014-15 campaign with a 73.2 winning percentage, which ranks 19th overall on the NCAA Division I coaching charts.
   •   Duke has a total of 17 games slated to be aired on television. All other home games will be carried live on the Blue Devil Network.
   •    The Blue Devils have five players and three staff associated with the team who have won USA Basketball medals - Oderah Chidom, Rebecca Greenwell, Amber Henson, Kendall Cooper, Elizabeth Williams, head coach Joanne P. McCallie, athletic trainer Summer McKeehan and team doctor Jeff Bytomski.
   • Follow @Duke_WBB and @CoachPDuke on Twitter to get the latest updates on Duke women's basketball. Also, "Like" Duke Women's Basketball on Facebook to get the latest video, pictures and more. DWB is on Instagram at dukewbb. Join all three now as they are free!

A Look at Nebraska...
   Nebraska enters Wednesday's game with a 6-0 mark, including a 4-0 mark at home. The Huskers have been led by Rachel Theriot (19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds), Emily Cady (14.8 points, 8.0 rebounds), Tear'a Laudermill (11.7 points, 10 treys) and Brandi Jeffery (10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds).

The Series with Nebraska...
   Duke and Nebraska will meet for the second time in school history and for the first time in the regular season. The first meeting was in the regional semifinals in the NCAA Tournament, with Duke pulling out a 53-45 victory on March 31, 2013 in Norfolk, Va.

Duke Versus the Big Ten...
    Duke owns an all-time record of 22-9 against teams from the Big Ten -- Illinois (0-3), Iowa (1-0), Michigan (4-0), Michigan State (2-1), Minnesota (0-1), Nebraska (1-0), Ohio State (1-0), Penn State (5-1), Purdue (6-3) and Wisconsin (2-0).
   Head coach Joanne P. McCallie owns an all-time record of 84-56 versus the Big Ten -- Illinois (9-7), Indiana (8-4), Iowa (9-6), Michigan (11-2), Michigan State (0-1), Minnesota (11-2), Northwestern (10-1), Ohio State (7-10), Penn State (4-11), Purdue (6-8) and Wisconsin (9-4).

Blue Devils in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge...
    Duke enters the 2014 ACC/Big Ten Challenge with a 6-1 record in the yearly event and features a six-game winning streak. The Blue Devils are coming off victories over Purdue (99-78) in 2013, Michigan (71-54) in 2012, Purdue (64-53) in 2011, Wisconsin (59-51) in 2010, third-ranked Ohio State, 83-67, in 2009 and a 71-47 win over Iowa in 2008. Duke fell, 86-84, at Penn State in 2007.
   The Blue Devils will travel on the road for the challenge for only the fourth time -- Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State.
   The ACC has won six of the seven previous Challenge titles.

Year-by-year results of the challenge --
2013 - ACC 7, Big Ten 5
2012 - ACC 7, Big Ten 5
2011 - ACC 6, Big Ten 6
2010 - ACC 6, Big Ten 5
2009 - ACC 7, Big Ten 4
2008 - ACC 7, Big Ten 4
2007 - ACC 8, Big Ten 3

What Happened Last Time?...
    Six different Blue Devils scored double-digits as Duke cruised to a 99-78 victory over Purdue in Durham, N.C.
   Alexis Jones posted a game-high 22 points, while Chelsea Gray added 16 points to pace the Blue Devils.
   Purdue led 44-41 at the half, before Duke outscored the Boilermakers, 58-34, to take the victory. The Blue Devils shot 61.1 percent from the field in the second half and 55.9 percent for the game.

Williams Misses Texas A&M Contest...
   Duke senior Elizabeth Williams missed her first career game at Texas A&M, snapping a 109-straight games played streak for the 6-3 center. Williams had started 72 straight games for Duke.
   She did not play due to a foot injury and is listed as day-to-day. Williams, a three-time Associated Press All-America, is averaging 14.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals.

Inexperienced Lineup...
   With Blue Devil senior Elizabeth Williams out of the lineup at seventh-ranked Texas A&M, the Blue Devils started the game with a total of 31 career starts on the court -- Oderah Chidom (1), Sierra Calhoun (5), Rebecca Greenwell (5), Amber Henson (10) and Ka'lia Johnson (10).
   Many times the Blue Devils featured three freshmen and two sophomores out on the court at times in a hostile environment. Duke featured a 15-point lead with under 12 minutes left, but could not hold on.

Greenwell Producing Early...
   Duke redshirt freshman Rebecca Greenwell is putting up some impressive numbers early in the season. Her 92 points through six games ranks as the fourth most points by a Duke rookie in school history.
   Greenwell is behind Duke greats Chris Moreland (119), Alana Beard (96) and Katie Meier (93).
   With her 13 three-pointers made in six games, Greenwell ranks first. The previous high was 10 by Abby Waner in 2005-06. Fellow freshman Sierra Calhoun ranks second through six games with 11 three-pointers made.
   Greenwell is averaging 15.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.3 steals. She hit her first 12 free throw attempts to open her career and is now hitting 90.5 percent (19-of-21).

A Challenging December...
   Duke will face a very challenging December schedule that features the No. 1 (South Carolina), No. 3 (Connecticut), No. 12 (Nebraska) and No. 13 (Kentucky) ranked teams in the nation.

Calhoun Comes Alive...
   After scoring 22 points in the first three games, freshman Sierra Calhoun came alive against Buffalo with a career-high 21 points as she drained 4-of-7 from downtown and hit 5-of-6 free throws. She backed it up with 13 points versus Stony Brook as she drained 3-of-8 three-pointers.
   Over the last three games, Calhoun is averaging 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals. She has hit 8-of-17 three-pointers for a 47.1 percentage.

From the Field...
   After opening the season on the road hitting 55.0 percent of its field goals, Duke has hit only 40.2 percent of its field goals the last four contests.
   Azurá Stevens leads Duke with a 66.7 field goal percentage, while Oderah Chidom (59.2), Elizabeth Williams (58.2), Lyneé Belton (60.0) and Erin Mathias (57.1) are hitting over 50.0 percent.

Balanced Scoring...
   Eight of Duke's 12 players have scored double-figures at least one time this season. The Blue Devils own four players averaging double-figure points -- Rebecca Greenwell (15.3), Elizabeth Williams (14.0), Azurá Stevens (11.4) and Oderah Chidom (10.5).

Stevens Continues Strong Play...
   After missing the Stony Brook contest with an injured foot, freshman Azurá Stevens came back strong at seventh-ranked Texas A&M with 15 points and seven rebounds as she hit 7-of-12 field goals.
   In the home opener against Marquette, she had a breakout game with 18 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and one steal in only 18 minutes.
   She collected six offensive rebounds and hit 8-of-9 field goals. In only seven minutes of time against Buffalo, Stevens notched 12 points, seven rebounds and one steal.
   Over her the last three games played, Stevens has averaged 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist. She has scored double-figures in three consecutive contests. During that stretch, she has hit 74.1 percent of her field goals (20-of-27).
   Stevens has notched two double-doubles in five contests. Her 22 offensive rebounds ranks first on the team.
   Talking about efficiency, Stevens is averaging 11.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in only 17.2 minutes a game.