Wake Forest University
Duke
Women's Hoops Falls To No. 1 Duke, 71-61
1/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2003
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Duke coach Gail Goestenkors still is waiting for the top-ranked Blue Devils to play well for an entire game.
Alana Beard scored 29 points, including 10 of Duke's last 14, as the Blue Devils struggled to beat Wake Forest 71-61 on Thursday.
The undefeated Blue Devils built leads of 10 points or more five times against unranked Wake Forest, only to see the Deacons rally and take a second-half lead.
"We played well only in spurts," Goestenkors said. "We've had spurts of greatness in every game, but that's not going to get it done."
Beard added 11 rebounds and five assists for Duke (16-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). Iciss Tillis also had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds, while Vicki Krapohl added 11 points.
Cotelia Bond-Young led Wake Forest (10-5, 1-4) with 17 points, while Erin Ferrell added 11 and Eafton Hill 10.
"Coach G has said we need to play with more emotion in each of the past three, four games," Beard said. "But we're still not playing focused for the whole game."
Goestenkors blistered her team at halftime.
"You don't want to see me at halftimes," she said.
Despite their struggles, the Blue Devils notched their 28th straight ACC victory.
"We'd push the margin to 10 and then we'd turn the ball over," Goestenkors said. "At one point we turned the ball over four times in a row. We really lost our focus. The longer it went on, the more confidence they (the Deacons) got."
Wake Forest scored 14 points off 18 Duke turnovers.
Duke's last turnover resulted in a Wake Forest layup by Tiffani Listenbee that started a 9-2 Deacon run. She capped the run with another layup that got Wake Forest within 61-59 with 1:11 to play.
Michele Matyasovsky put Duke ahead 63-59 with a runner at the 47-second mark. Duke then hit its final eight free throws, six by Beard, to seal the win.
"I really felt we had a chance to win the whole way, until the last 20 seconds," Wake Forest coach Charlene Curtis said.
Beard scored 10 of Duke's first 12 points, and she had 14 by halftime to pace the Blue Devils to a 35-30 lead at the break.
Wake Forest had nine turnovers on its first 21 possessions as Duke jumped out to an early 20-8 lead that grew to as much as 31-18 after Beard's layup with 4 minutes left in the first half.
"Alana Beard is always going to find a way to make it happen," Curtis said. "I still say she's the best in America right now."
