Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus UCLA on March 29, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 70
/
Final
Women's Basketball
58
vs UCLA
70
Blue Devils Prepare For Stanford On Tuesday
12/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.C.?Duke senior Chante Black and Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie sat down this week with the media to talk about the upcoming Stanford contest and the season so far. The 11th-ranked Blue Devils will host third-ranked Stanford on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
For tickets contact the Duke Ticket Office at (919) 681-2583 or head to www.GoDuke.com
Senior Chante Black
On the struggles to start out the game against Iowa:
“Unfortunately you are going to have nights like that where a shot won't fall, but you have to keep your confidence up and know that one is eventually going to go down. My teammates encourage me to keep shooting and be aggressive and if the next basket didn't go down eventually and foul will come down or the other team will wear down. We were attacking on the inside and coach made a very good point that any time you have a team scoring or attacking the basket in the paint as well as we did that night then that team is probably going to win.”
Have you looked at Stanford film?
“No not as a group, we have not broken down Stanford, but knowing from last year of course they were going up for the national championship. You know their chemistry is great and they had a great leader in Candace Wiggins. You can see their chemistry was great and I don't know how well it is this year, but you usually don't lose chemistry like that. They have a good group of post and you go off of what you know from the past and of course I have seen them in the past.”
What does it mean to play in big games, such as Stanford?
“You try and take every game as a challenge, but definitely this one is a challenge because they have two great post players if not three or four, but I definitely know two of them. You go in and see where you match up against them, obviously the better team wins and you learn from those things and so big games like this is a learning experience and also prepares you for the rest of the season.”
Do you have contact with some of their players; did you consider Stanford, academics?
“No, I know that we recruited Jayne [Appel], so I got to meet her once. I did not really consider west coast teams. They are a great academic school, but because I am a North Carolina native I wasn't even looking to go out west really.”
How does beating Oklahoma State, a ranked opponent, help?
“Confidence wise, and just showing we can match up against the best. You always enjoy games like this because it brings the best out of both the teams.”
On the Stanford post, front line?
“Like I said they do have great post players. It is going to be a challenge, but you just have to keep going in there and hopefully you will get the calls. I am getting some hits and we all are, but hopefully the whistle blows the right way and we finish the shots.”
How do you react to a physical game?
“Mentally you have to be prepared and not to let it rattle you, not to get discourage when the whistle isn't blown or your shot is not falling. So maturity wise I have grown in that area, with the help of coaches to tell me to stay in and don't worry about it.”
“They [defenses] are definitely paying attention more and looking at me as more of a threat. I am getting double teamed, triple teamed; a lot of people are playing a sagging man so it's not as easy to get off shots. I am getting boxed out a lot, but you know it's good because that distraction comes and that leaves the backside open and people are getting points. Duke is a smart team. We are still going to find ways to score.”
How much do you like playing facing the basket?
“If I didn't have that ability to face the basket I would be in a whole lot of trouble because of the contact and the pressure I am receiving. I would not be able to get as many shots off or spread the defense out as much. So thank God I can get a shot every now and then.”
On the big games, Tennessee game last year to Stanford this year:
“Just out competing the other team, any time that we out compete the other team I know it is a great game. That means hustling to loose balls, outrebounding them, more free throw attempts. The more aggressive we are then that is what I would like.”
Stanford game of this magnitude vs. ACC game, any dangers to playing this game:
“The only danger is just showing where we stand. Stanford is a great team and I really feel like it's going to be a good challenge and good game for women's basketball.”
Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie
On the challenge of Stanford:
“The challenge for us is to not turn the ball over 30 times, that would be a good first challenge. That is not something that is going to be productive for us in any game. I think right now the challenge for us is finals. The challenge for us is having some good practices off of finals then appropriately getting ready for Stanford. Right now it is just about us answering the bell of what we didn't do against Michigan and we'll cover that practice today [Wednesday] and then we'll start to break into some things regarding Stanford. They are an excellent team of course; their strength seems to be in their front court obviously with [Jayne] Appel, [Kayla] Pederson, and [Nnemkadi] Ogwumike. They are huge, they are a big team, and even their guards are 6'0 so I would tell you they are very big, very strong, and they try to pound it inside. I think I would love us to play up tempo without turning the ball over. Go, go, go, run, run, run but make it productive.”
“I've coached against Stanford before and they are an outstanding program. I played them at Maine in the NCAA Tournament and at Michigan State; so two NCAA Tournaments, I've had a fair draw of Stanford and I just felt that when I looked at our final schedule, Kate [Senger] was finishing the final details of the schedule; I felt it was missing something. I love the schedule, I loved going to Chicago, I love what we've done with the schedule and I've loved the challenges. It has not been Mickey Mouse; we have not scheduled just to get a ?W', we have scheduled and very interesting schedule. So I got on the phone and called Stanford and Connecticut. Connecticut was coming here next year anyway so that was already sort of coming so I called Stanford. Then I found out they were playing South Carolina. I said wait a minute, you've got to be kidding me you are going to come all the way out here and play South Carolina and not play Duke. So we went back and forth and then finally they agreed to do it so we'll play a home and home. Then we got ESPN involved and I thought it was going to be on ESPNU and I was disappointed about that then Carol [Stiff] from ESPN called and said, ?no we got it on ESPN.' It's in December and I'm concerned about that because the students are gone and you want to have a great crowd, but I don't know. It's a Tuesday night that concerns me.”
“It's really a celebration of two of the greatest academic institutions in the world. We are talking about worldwide stuff here, you can put together all sorts of matchups, but when you can put together a Duke and Stanford -- two institutions that have dedicated themselves to not only the best academics but also incredible D-I athletics I think that is a fascinating thing that is worthy of celebration because many kids can't get into Duke or Stanford. It's an elite group of women and obviously we recruit against each other. Tara [VanDerveer] has the upper hand right now with her years at Stanford and her Olympic experience. So it's a battle for me as a new coach at Duke and the way my style is -- I welcome the battle. I understand how long Tara has been there and they have two national titles and to me you welcome that battle. Duke has a long history of incredible success, but no titles so we're to some extent we are nipping at them and for what they have done."
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's BasketballKara Lawson | 13 Gold Medals. One Standard.
Tuesday, March 31
Kara Lawson Talks Leading USA Basketball Women's National Team | NBA Today
Tuesday, March 31
The Impact They Didn’t See Coming | Handle Hard Better
Tuesday, March 31
Chelsea Gray Back Home at Duke | USA Basketball Training Camp
Tuesday, March 31
