DWB Game Notes: Belmont, March 17, 11 am, ESPN2

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NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
#23/25 BELMONT BRUINS (31-3, 18-0) VS. #20/18 DUKE BLUE DEVILS (22-8, 11-5)

Game 31 • Saturday, March 17 • 11:00 AM
Athens, Ga. • Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) • ESPN2

Radio: Blue Devil IMG Sports Network
(620 AM, 99.3 FM, 96.5 FM, GoDuke.com, TuneIn app) - Chris Edwards
TV/Video: ESPN2: Melissa Lee (PXP), Amanda Butler (Color)
The Series: First Meeting
Duke Head Coach: Joanne P. McCallie (Northwestern, ‘87)
Record: 611-227 (26)
Belmont Head Coach: Bart Brooks (Wyoming, ‘04)
Record: 31-3 (1)

Setting the Scene...
The 20th-ranked Duke women’s basketball team received its 24th overall NCAA Tournament selection Monday. The Blue Devils (22-8) were seeded No. 5 in the Albany Region and will take on No. 12 seed and 23rd-ranked Belmont (31-3) in the first round Saturday, March 17 at 11 a.m., in Athens, Ga. The first and second rounds will be hosted by the University of Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum.

Saturday’s contest will be aired live on ESPN2 with Melissa Lee (PXP) and Amanda Butler (Color) will be calling the action. It will also be carried on the Blue Devil IMG Sports Network via 620 AM, 99.3 FM, 96.5 FM, TuneIn Radio app and www.GoDuke.com with Chris Edwards on the air beginning at 10:45 a.m.

Duke owns a 2-1 record against No. 12 seeds and will face one for the first time since 1997.

What is Next?...
The winner of the Duke/Belmont game will advance to face the winner of the No. 4 seed Georgia vs. No. 13 seed Mercer game, which will tip at 1:30 p.m., also in Athens, Ga. The second round contest will be played Monday, March 19 at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.

Three Keys...
• Two great friends will face off on the court in Athens as Duke’s Lexie Brown of Suwanee, Ga., and Kylee Smith (Alpharetta, Ga.) of Belmont will meet up for the first time since AAU hoops. The duo met in middle school and played together on the Georgia Ice 13U squad and are still great friends. They also played against each other in March of 2013 in high school as Brown attended Gwinnett H.S. and Smith attended Alpharetta H.S. Brown’s dad, Dee Brown, used to train them both and the Brown family was like a second family to Smith.
• Lexie Brown has hit a three-pointer in a school-record 29 straight games. It is also the third-longest active mark among Power Five Conference players.
• Duke owns a 23-game winning streak in NCAA first round games, which is the second-longest streak nationally behind UConn (24). Stanford is third with 18 in a row. Joanne P. McCallie has won at least one game in the NCAAs in 13 straight appearances.

NCAA Tournament Tidbits...
• The Basics...Duke is making its 24th overall trip to the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Devils have been seeded No. 5 for the third time in school history and the first since the 1997 campaign. Duke owns a record of 2-2 as a No. 5 seed with the other year coming in 1995.
Duke now owns an all-time mark of 56-23 in NCAA Tournament play and is 57-24 in all postseason action. The 56 victories over Duke’s history ranks tied fifth on the NCAA list along with Notre Dame. The Blue Devils have hosted NCAA Tournament games 14 times out of 24 appearances.
Prior to this season, Duke previously hosted first and second round games in Cameron from 1987, 1996, 1998-2002, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017.
• The History...Each time Duke has been in the NCAA Tournament, it has won at least one game. The Blue Devils have advanced to a regional in 16 out of the last 20 appearances, including five out of the last eight appearances. Duke had reached at least the Sweet 16 in 11 consecutive years prior to a loss to Michigan State in 2008-09 in the second round. Duke has made it to the Elite Eight in 11 of the last 20 appearances.
Duke also advanced to the Final Four in 2002 and 2003 and the National Championship game in 1999 and 2006. The Blue Devils own a 46-18 record in their last 64 NCAA Tournament games.
In regional play, Duke ranks seventh with 16 regional appearances -- Tennessee (34), UConn (25), Stanford (24), Georgia (20), Louisiana Tech (20), North Carolina (17), Duke (16), Notre Dame (15), LSU (14), Texas (14) and Vanderbilt (14).
• The Coach...Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie is making her 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament, while producing a 29-20 record. While at Maine, she totaled a 1-6 record that included an upset victory over seventh-seeded Stanford (60-58) in 1999. Her Maine squad was seeded 10th and then fell to Old Dominion on its home court, 72-62, in the second round.
During her time at Michigan State, McCallie guided the Spartans to a 9-5 mark. She led MSU to five straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament and won at least one game in four consecutive years. In 2005, McCallie’s squad had an incredible run through the tournament, knocking off Alcorn State, USC, 18th-ranked Vanderbilt, top-ranked Stanford and third-ranked Tennessee before falling to fifth-ranked Baylor in the national championship game. McCallie was awarded National Coach of the Year for her efforts.
At Duke, McCallie owns a 19-9 record in the tournament. She has won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament in 13 consecutive appearances.
As a player, McCallie led Northwestern to the 1987 NCAA Tournament her senior year. The Wildcats traveled to Louisiana Tech and lost, 82-60, in the first round.
• The Seedings...In the last 23 appearances, Duke has not been lower than a No. 5 seed and has been a No. 1 seed seven times. The No. 5 seed in 2018 is the lowest seed since 1997.

Storylines/Other Blue Devil Notes...
• When Duke and Belmont hit the hardwood, the Blue Devils will feature almost a three inch height advantage as Duke stands 73.07 to Belmont’s 70.53. The Blue Devils feature 11 players standing 6-0 or taller and seven at 6-2 or better, while Belmont has six players at 6-0 or taller and one at 6-3.
• Over the last three games, Rebecca Greenwell has attempted 39 three-pointers, while hitting 15 for a 38.5 percentage.
• Duke is coming off scoring a season-low 45 points and hitting season-low 27.5 percent from field against NC State in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
• Rebecca Greenwell’s 743 rebounds over her career ranks 12th on Duke’s all-time charts and is approaching Krystal Thomas (776) in 11th. • Lexie Brown’s 4.1 career assist average at Duke ranks tied fourth behind Chelsea Gray (5.0), Alexis Jones (4.6), Hilary Howard (4.4) and tied with Lindsey Harding (4.1).
• Bego Faz Davalos has hit 8-of-14 field goals over her last seven contests for a 57.1 percentage.
• Lexie Brown’s 30 points against ninth-ranked Florida State was the most by a Duke player against a top 10 opponent in school history. Brown owns three 30-point games this season to tie a Duke single-season record (Chris Moreland).
• At Syracuse, Rebecca Greenwell joined the elite 4,000-minute club along with Duke greats Alana Beard, Elizabeth Williams, Jasmine Thomas, Monique Currie and Lindsey Harding as the only Blue Devils to play 4,000 minutes. Greenwell owns 4,127.
• Lexie Brown is one of only three Duke players in school history to register over 60 three-pointers and 100 free throws made in a season -- Brown (202 in 2016-17), Rebecca Greenwell (183 in 2016-17), Brown (172 in 2017-18), Jasmine Thomas (164 in 2009-10).
• Lexie Brown is the only active player in NCAA Division I with 2,000 points, 500 assists, 250 three-pointers and 300 steals.
• Jade Williams ranks tied 19th nationally among freshmen with 38 blocks on the season. It also ranks fifth on Duke’s single season swats list for freshmen. Her 1.7 blocks per game average in ACC play ranked tied fourth, while her 1.3 season average ranks 11th.
• Rebecca Greenwell has moved into sixth on the ACC career three-pointers made list with 294 and needs seven more to move into a tie for fifth.
• Bego Faz Davalos moved into 22nd on the NCAA career blocks list and needs one more to enter into a tie for 21st with 369.
• Duke has forced 20 shot clock violations this season by its defense.
• Lexie Brown and Rebecca Greenwell combined for 53 points against North Carolina Feb. 25. It marked the seventh time the tandem have combined for 50 or more points over the last two years - 2017-18 (Old Dominion, WFU, FSU, UNC), 2016-17 (Longwood, Old Dominion, Miami).
• Duke leads the ACC in paint defense, only allowing 19.53 points in the paint per game. The next closest team is NC State with a 21.63 average.
• Follow @DukeWBB 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 videos, pictures and more. DWB is on Instagram at dukewbb.

A Look at Belmont...
Belmont is making its fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and is coming off winning its third straight Ohio Valley Conference Championship with a 63-56 overtime win over UT Martin. On the season, the Bruins have registered a 31-3 record and are winners of 22 consecutive contests. Belmont has been led by Kylee Smith (18.6 points, 75 treys), Darby Maggard (16.7 points, 113 treys) and Sally McCabe (14.6 points, 7.8 rebounds). In his first year as the head coach of the Bruins, Bart Brooks has helped the Bruins to their third straight NCAA appearance.

The Series with Belmont...
Duke and Belmont will meet for the first time in school history.

Duke Versus the Ohio Valley Conference...
Duke owns a 5-1 record against teams from the Ohio Valley Conference, including a 3-0 mark in NCAA Tournament action. The Blue Devils faced Eastern Kentucky (1-1) and Jacksonville State (1-0) in regular season play.
In NCAA Tournament play, Duke defeated Murray State in 2008, Austin Peay in 2009 and UT Martin in 2011. All of these games were in the first round.

Duke Versus The Field...
Duke notched a 7-7 record against teams in 2017-18 who received invitations to the NCAA Tournament – Liberty (1-0), Oregon State (1-0), Maine (1-0), Louisville (0-1), NC State (1-1), Syracuse (0-1), Ohio State (1-0), Villanova (0-1), Notre Dame (0-1), South Carolina (0-1), Virginia (1-0), Florida State (1-0) and Miami (0-1).

Sister Act...
The 2018 NCAA Tournament will feature 11 sets of sisters competing, which includes Duke freshman Madison Treece and Oklahoma’s senior McKenna Treece.
Other sister tandems in the big dance include --
Texas (Khaleann & Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau, Missouri (Bri & Cierra Porter), Buffalo (Katherine & Liisa Ups), Little Rock (Raeyana DeGray & Ronjane DeGray), Minnesota (Taiye & Kehinde Bello), Gonzaga (Jenn & LeeAnne Wirth), Green Bay (Madison & Mackenzie Wolf), Villanova (Bridget & Brianna Herlihy), Nebraska/Creighton (Taylor Kissinger of Nebraska & Brooke Kissinger of Creighton) and Syracuse/Quinnipiac (Digna Strautmane of Syracuse & Paula Strautmane of Quinnipiac).
Duke freshman Jayda Adams’ sister, Jordan, and her Southern California squad did not make the NCAA Tournament.

High-Caliber Three-Point Shooters...
When Belmont and Duke hit the floor Saturday, it will feature four of the best three-point shooters in the nation.

Belmont’s Darby Maggard (113) and Kylee Smith (75) have combined to hit 188 treys, while Duke’s Lexie Brown (66) and Rebecca Greenwell (66) have hit 132 three-pointers. The four players have combined to drain 320 treys.
As a team, Belmont ranks sixth nationally with 10.2 three-pointers made a game and ranks 27th with a 36.8 percentage. Maggard ranks 33rd in three-point field goal percentage (41.4) and 14th in three-point field goals made (3.32).

Duke ranks ninth nationally with a 39.0 three-point field goal percentage and Greenwell ranks 25th with a 42.0 percentage.

Top Scoring Backcourts...
Duke features the fifth-highest scoring backcourt in the 2018 NCAA Tournament --

Top Backcourts - Power Five Conferences
39.2 - K.Mitchell/L.Harper, Ohio State
39.1 - K.Bell/C.Wagner, Minnesota
36.4 - C.Carter/D.Williams, Texas A&M
34.4 - A.Ogunbowale/M.Mabrey, Notre Dame
34.3 - L. Brown/R.Greenwell, Duke

Going Through Ranked Opponents...
For the first time in Duke history, the Blue Devils will have to face a ranked team in the NCAA first round against 23rd-ranked Belmont.

Duke has totaled a 3-4 record this season against ranked opponents, including four losses over the last five contests.

In those games, Duke has hit only 40.0 percent from the field and averaged 61.6 points.

Lexie Brown has averaged 17.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.6 steals. She has sank 17 treys for a 40.5 percentage.

In six games, Rebecca Greenwell has averaged 15.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.8 blocks. She has hit 18 treys for a 39.1 percentage.

McCallie In Tournament Play...
In her 26 years as a head coach, Joanne P. McCallie has taken 21 teams to the NCAA Tournament and produced a 29-20 record. While at Maine, she totaled a 1-6 record that included an upset victory over seventh-seeded Stanford (60-58) in 1999. Her Maine squad was seeded 10th and then fell to Old Dominion on its home court, 72-62, in the second round.

During her time at Michigan State, McCallie guided the Spartans to a 9-5 mark. She led MSU to five straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament and won at least one game four consecutive years.
In 2005, McCallie’s squad had an incredible run through the tournament, knocking off Alcorn State, USC, 18th-ranked Vanderbilt, top-ranked Stanford and third-ranked Tennessee before falling to fifth-ranked Baylor in the national championship game. McCallie was awarded National Coach of the Year for her efforts.

As a player, McCallie led Northwestern to the 1987 NCAA Tournament her senior year. The Wildcats traveled to Louisiana Tech and lost, 82-60, in the first round.
In 11 years at Duke so far, Coach P has led Duke to an 19-9 record in 10 NCAA appearances. McCallie has won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament in 13 consecutive years.

On the Road...
Duke’s NCAA run will have to take place away from Cameron Indoor Stadium in 2018. It marks the first time since 1997 that the Blue Devils will not host a NCAA first and second rounds when having the option of being a top 16 seed.
On the season, Duke has notched a 6-7 record away from home and a 16-1 mark in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Lexie Brown has averaged 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.7 steals on the road, while Rebecca Greenwell has averaged 13.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.8 assists.

Lack of NCAA Experience...
Duke only features five players who have suited up in a NCAA Tournament contest over its career.

Lexie Brown is Duke’s most experienced player in NCAA action with 12 career NCAA Tournament games under her belt. At Maryland, Brown started 10 games and led the Terrapins to NCAA Final Four appearances in 2014 and 2015.

She owns averages of 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals. Last season at Duke, she averaged 18.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 3.5 steals.

Greenwell has played five contests over her career and started all five. She has averaged 14.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 steals. Greenwell has hit 14-of-34 treys over her career.

Erin Mathias has played in four games, while making one start, Faith Suggs appeared in two games last season and Leaonna Odom started both contests as a rookie in 2016-17.

Moving on Up...
Fifth-year senior Rebecca Greenwell continues to move up the Duke scoring list as she currently stands in fifth. She owns 1,839 points and needs 116 to move into a tie with Elizabeth Williams (1,955).

Greenwell is now the Duke record holder for most three-point field goals attempted (742) and ranks seventh on the ACC all-time charts.

In only two seasons, Lexie Brown has totaled 1,226 points to rank tied 26th on Duke’s career points list. She needs two points to move into 25th.

Big on the Boards...
Rebecca Greenwell has been a monster on the boards recently. In the ACC Tournament, Greenwell had her streak of eight straight games with eight or more rebounds snapped as she had five. She is the first Duke player to notch eight or more boards in eight consecutive games since Elizabeth Williams (2014-15, had 11). Greenwell is the first Duke guard to accomplish this (Katie Meier in 1989-90 had 6). No Duke guard had posted seven or more games in a row.

At Clemson, Greenwell became the third Duke guard along with Alana Beard and Monique Currie to register over 1,800 points and 700 rebounds. Earlier this season, she became the first Duke player to amass 1,800 points, 700 rebounds and 200 made three-pointers.

3-Point Streak...
Duke’s Lexie Brown’s 29-game streak with at least one three-pointer made ranks second in the ACC and is third-best among Power Five Conferences.
Brown’s streak is also a new Duke record, which was previously held by Georgia Schweitzer (25 in 2000-01).

Consecutive Games with a Three-Pointer
(Power 5 Conferences)
Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State - 90
Aislinn Konig, NC State - 30
Lexie Brown, Duke - 29

100 Steals...
Duke fifth-year senior Lexie Brown is having one of the best individual seasons in Duke history averaging 20.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.5 steals.

She owns 106 steals and became just the third Blue Devil to reach the 100-steals mark joining only Alana Beard (3 times) and Jasmine Thomas (2009-10).

The Duke single-season record is 114 by Alana Beard in 2001-02 and Brown registered 96 a year ago.

Brown’s 106 steals currently ranks tied second on Duke’s single-season charts. The 106 steals also ranks sixth nationally and the most among Power Five Conference players.

Brown’s 3.2 career steals average is the best in Duke history (Alana Beard is second at 3.0).

DWB Game Notes: Belmont, March 17, 11 am, ESPN2

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