Wake Forest University
Duke
Women's Basketball Falls to Fifth-Ranked Duke, 83-60
2/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2002
Feb. 7, 2002
Winston-Salem, N.C. - Alana Beard certainly caught Wake Forest coach Charlene Curtis' eye.
Beard scored nine of her 15 points during a 16-2 run in the first half, and No. 5 Duke beat Wake Forest 83-60 Thursday night to clinch a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference title.
"She does all of it," Curtis said of Beard. "She can shoot, rebound, make the right pass, post up and drive to the basket. If I were a player, I'd want to be like Alana."
Duke (20-3, 12-0) can clinch its fourth title in five years with a victory over Clemson on Sunday, or if North Carolina loses to North Carolina State the same day.
The Blue Devils have won 11 straight games and 17 of 18. Duke has won 20 straight against Wake Forest and last lost to the Demon Deacons in the 1993 ACC tournament.
Duke had six players score in double figures, shot 53 percent from the floor and had just 13 turnovers.
"I think we did a good job of taking care of the basketball," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. "Overall, I'm pleased because of the changing defenses that Wake plays. They put good pressure on the ball, so it's nice to only have 13 turnovers."
Duke's Iciss Tillis had 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Michelle Matyasovsky had 15 points and seven rebounds. Monique Currie had 14 points, and Krista Gingrich and Wynter Whitley had 11 each.
"They are so balanced and versatile, you can't concentrate on any one player," Curtis said. "You can't do any one thing against them because they make adjustments. They're very tough to prepare for."
Tonia Brown led Wake Forest (10-12, 4-8) with 17 points and four assists. Bianca Brown added 11 points.
Duke made 18 of 31 shots to take a 45-30 halftime lead.
Wake Forest was within 22-17, but Beard had a 3-pointer and three straight layups in a span of 1:04 as Duke pushed the lead to 38-19 with 4:52 left.
"As a team we go on runs because we have so many weapons, which makes it hard to focus on just one of them," Goestenkors said.
Duke outscored Wake Forest 44-22 inside and shot 53 percent.
Coaches?? Quotes
Wake Forest vs. Duke
Feb. 7, 2002
Wake Forest Head Coach Charlene Curtis
??Obviously we played one of the best teams in the country tonight. After the game I told our team we want to be like Duke. We hope to make tonight a learning experience. We hope to build on this game and take that learning experience with us on the road to Florida State.??
??They are balanced and versatile, you can??t concentrate on any one player. They??re so balanced and that??s what makes them so good. You can??t do any one thing against them all night because they make adjustments. They??re very tough to prepare for.??
??We??ve made lots of improvements. Our goal is to get to the middle of the pack (in the ACC). We don??t want to be in the bottom third. We??re there right now in seventh place, but we have a legitimate chance to make a run at it.??
On Beard:
??She does all of it. She??d get my vote for national player of the year. She can shoot, rebound, make the right pass, post up, and drive to the basket. But the best thing about her is that she??s a good person. She never flaunts her ability and she??s one of the hardest workers on their team. If I were a player I??d want to be like Alana [Beard].??
Duke Head Coach Gail Goestenkors
??We??re really happy to come away with a win. Wake Forest, I think, is the most improved team from one half of the ACC season to the other. And I think they??re going to win many more games. It took a lot of effort for us to come away with the win.??
??I think we did a good job taking care of the basketball. Overall I??m pleased because of the changing defenses that Wake plays. They put good pressure on the ball, so it??s nice to have only 13 turnovers.??
??As a team we go on runs because we have so many weapons which makes it hard to focus on just one of them.??
??Defense and rebounding are two areas championship teams do very well with, so those are definitely things we can work on. I hope we??ve established ourselves as a program that will be a perennial powerhouse, not just in the ACC, but nationally. Our goal is to win the ACC, both the regular season and the tournament.??
