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Women's Basketball
at Syracuse
Blue Devil Game Notes: UK, Dec. 29, 7 PM, ESPN3
12/28/2016 2:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ACC Network Extra l Live Audio l Live Stats l Twitter
Game 13#17/23 Kentucky (9-3) at #15/17 Duke (11-1)
Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016 • 7:00 p.m.
Durham, N.C. (Cameron Indoor Stadium)
Radio: Blue Devil IMG Sports Network
(620 AM, 99.3 FM, 96.5 FM, TuneIn app) - Chris Edwards
TV: ACC Network Extra
Setting the Scene...
Following a break for the Christmas holiday, the 15th-ranked Duke women's basketball team (11-1) will return to action as the Blue Devils will host 17th-ranked Kentucky (9-3) Thursday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.
The contest will be aired live on ACC Network Extra with Ryan Craig (PXP) and Debbie Taylor (Color) calling the action. It will also be carried on the Blue Devil IMG Sports Network on www.GoDuke.com with Chris Edwards on the air beginning at 6:45 p.m. It will be aired live on 620 AM, 99.3 FM, 96.5 FM, TuneIn Radio app and www.GoDuke.com.
At halftime of the Kentucky contest, Duke will honor 2015 graduate Elizabeth Williams as her No. 1 jersey will be retired. Williams will also be signing autographs at 6 p.m., prior to the contest.
Duke is currently on a five-game homestand and won't have to travel on the road until the year of 2017. The Blue Devils have also won seven straight contests on the season.
What is Next?...
Duke will conclude a five-game homestand by hosting Louisville in the ACC opener Monday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.
Storylines/Other Blue Devil Notes...
• Over the last two games, Lexie Brown has averaged 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals. She hit 14-of-23 field goals for a 60.9 percentage, while hitting 5-of-6 treys (83.3%).
• Duke has won 13 straight home non-conference contests.
• The Blue Devils will play the first of two straight contests against teams from the state of Kentucky. Duke will take on Louisville Jan. 2.
• The Blue Devils scored 68 points in each of the last two games and for the third time in seven home games in 2016-17.
• In the NCAA stats, Duke ranks in the top 10 in scoring margin (6, 28.3), field goal percentage (5, 50.0), field goal percentage defense (4, 32.4), three-point field goal percentage (8, 40.9) and steals per game (10, 13.1).
• Either Lexie Brown or Rebecca Greenwell have registered 20+ points in eight of the 12 games this season.
• After dishing 20+ assists in six of the first eight games, Duke has totaled 32 over the last three contests.
• Duke features five different players hitting over 50.0 percent from the field -- Oderah Chidom (58.6), Erin Mathias (50.9), Leaonna Odom (52.3), Kendall Cooper (50.0) and Kyra Lambert (50.6).
• The Blue Devils snapped an eight-game losing streak to ranked opponents with a 74-63 win over third-ranked South Carolina. It was the highest win against a ranked opponent since Duke knocked off third-ranked Ohio State in 2009.
• Senior Oderah Chidom drained her first career three-pointer as time expired in the first quarter versus South Carolina.
• Duke currently leads the ACC in four categories -- field goal percentage, field goal percentage defense, three-point field goal percentage and blocked shots.
• Lexie Brown has hit 30 straight free throws entering Thursday's contest and her 42 free throws made on the year ranks third in the ACC.
• Erin Mathias was huge off the bench against South Carolina with six points, six rebounds and a career-high three steals. She is hitting 50.9 percent from the field, after hitting a combined 37.4 percent over her first two years.
• The 40 three-pointers made by Rebecca Greenwell currently ranks tied 12th nationally.
• Rebecca Greenwell owns two 30-point games in 2016-17, which is already tied second on Duke's single season list. The most in a season was three by Chris Moreland in 1985-86.
• Duke is averaging 6.2 three-pointers a game, which is more than any Blue Devil squad in school history. The previous high was 6.1 in 2005-06. Greenwell's 3.3 treys per game average is the highest by a Blue Devil with the next closest being Tricia Liston in 2013-14 (2.5).
• The Blue Devils have dished 20+ assists six different times in 2016-17, but only accomplished this a total of four times in 2015-16.
• The Blue Devils are averaging only 14.9 turnovers and have yet to turn the ball over more than 19 times in a contest. This time last year, Duke had committed 20+ turnovers in four of 11 contests.
• Kyra Lambert, a 5-9 guard, has 19 offensive rebounds, which ranks third on the Duke team. She only had 13 offensive rebounds in 32 games as a freshman.
• Rebecca Greenwell's 20.5 points per game average currently ranks second in the ACC and ranks tied 17th nationally.
• With her 2.7 blocks per game average, Oderah Chidom ranks 18th nationally and leads the ACC.
• Duke has drained 74 three-pointers with the trio of Rebecca Greenwell, Kyra Lambert and Lexie Brown hitting 72 of them.
• The Blue Devils are averaging 17.3 assists a contest. Duke averaged only 13.8 assists in 2015-16.
• Duke opened the year on a crazy pace as the Blue Devils played eight games in only 17 days.
• The Blue Devils feature 13 players from 10 different states on the 2016-17 roster.
• 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 videos, pictures and more. DWB is on Instagram at dukewbb.
A Look at Kentucky...
Kentucky enters the contest with a 9-3 overall mark, including winners of its last two in a row over Radford and Washington State.
The Wildcats have been led by Makayla Epps (17.9 points), Evelyn Akhator (14.3 points, 10.4 rebounds), Taylor Murray (12.7 points) and Maci Morris (12.2 points).
Morris and Makenzie Cann have combined to drain 43 three-pointers on the season.
The Series with Kentucky...
The Blue Devils and Wildcats will be meeting for the eighth time in history. It marks the sixth year in a row the two squads will tangle in the regular season. The Blue Devils feature an overall record of 5-2 against Kentucky.
In games played at Duke, the Blue Devils are 2-0 with wins coming in 2011 and 2014.
Coach P has an overall record of 4-2 versus Kentucky.
Duke Versus the Southeastern Conference...
The Blue Devils have played 60 total games against teams in the Southeastern Conference. Of those 60 games, Duke has a record of 38-22 -- Alabama (2-1), Arkansas (2-1), Auburn (5-0), Florida (2-1), Georgia (3-0), Kentucky (5-2), LSU (3-2), Mississippi State (2-0), South Carolina (2-3), Tennessee (6-5), Texas A&M (1-4), and Vanderbilt (5-3).
Coach P has a record of 20-21 against teams in the SEC.
Duke to Retire Elizabeth Williams' Jersey...
Duke is proud to announce it will retire Elizabeth Williams' No. 1 jersey at halftime of the Blue Devils' Dec. 29 contest against Kentucky at 7 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Fans should arrive early as Williams will be signing autographs in the Hall of Honor.
Williams will become just the third player in Duke women's basketball history to have her jersey retired, joining Alana Beard (#20) and Lindsey Harding (#10).
Williams completed a storied career at Duke in 2015, graduating as a four-time All-America selection. She was the first player from the ACC and only the eighth player in the NCAA to garner All-America distinction from the Associated Press in each of her four years. Williams was also the first player in ACC history to total over 1,900 points, 1,000 rebounds and 400 blocks for her career.
During her four seasons, Williams averaged 14.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game over 136 contests. She was named to the All-ACC first team for four straight years, becoming only the second player in the ACC to accomplish the feat. The Virginia Beach, Va., native was also a four-time pick for the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and the 2015 National Defensive Player of the Year.
Blue Devils Versus Kentucky...
In two games, Rebecca Greenwell has averaged 7.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks versus the Wildcats. She had 13 points, five boards, four assists and two steals as a freshman in 2014, but was held to one point last season on the road.
Sophomore Crystal Primm totaled 15 points and four rebounds last season off the bench. She hit 6-of-7 field goals.
Senior Oderah Chidom has notched 10 points and two rebounds in 2014, while totaling eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 2015.
Against the Home State Team...
Duke redshirt junior Rebecca Greenwell will go up against a home state team from Kentucky for the fifth time in her career Thursday.
Greenwell went to Kentucky's elite camp the summer before her sophomore season of high school.
She played with Kentucky junior Makayla Epps on a Kentucky junior All-Star team.
Odom Nets First Collegiate Start...
After coming off the bench the first 11 contests, freshman Leaonna Odom made her first collegiate start versus Villanova Dec. 21. Odom played a season-high 33 minutes, while totaling seven points, four rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot.
On the year, Odom is averaging 9.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals. She has scored six points or more in all contests.
Blue Devils Move Back in Rankings...
Following the upset win over third-ranked South Carolina, Duke moved back in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Poll at No. 21 overall. In its fourth straight week in the poll, Duke has climbed to No. 15 in the AP ledger.
Duke had a 312-week streak of being in the top 25 prior to moving out last season.
Scoring Duo...
Duke owns the second-highest scoring tandem in the ACC and second-highest backcourt scoring duo with Rebecca Greenwell (20.5) and Lexie Brown (17.1) combining for 37.6 points a game. Greenwell ranks second in the ACC in scoring, while Brown ranks seventh.
The top scoring backcourts in the NCAA--
40.9 - A.Peterson/B.Sykes, Syracuse
37.6 - L.Brown/R.Greenwell, Duke
35.8 - R.Bankston, S.Martin, Towson
35.8 - F.Fitzgerald/A.Butts, Temple
35.5 - C.Wagner, K.Bell, Minnesota
The top tandems in the ACC--
40.9 - A.Peterson/B.Sykes, Syracuse
37.6 - Brown/Greenwell, Duke
35.4 - S.Watts/P.Kea, North Carolina
Best Scoring Duos in Duke history--
37.8 - C.Moreland/K.Meier (1986-87)
37.6 - C.Moreland/K.Meier (1985-86)
37.1 - K.Meier/S.Harnett (1989-90)
36.5 - A.Beard/I.Tillis (2002-03)
34.1 - A.Beard/M.Currie (2001-02)
From the Charity Stripe...
The Blue Devils are hitting 72.8 percent from the free throw line this season, which is the second-highest mark for a Coach P team at Duke. The 2012-13 squad hit 74.1 percent from the charity stripe, which ranked as the third-highest ledger in school history. Duke currently ranks second in the ACC.
Last season, the Blue Devils hit 66.4 percent from the line.
Lexie Brown ranks third in the ACC (89.4) and Rebecca Greenwell is fourth (88.4).
Hot Shooting for Greenwell...
Rebecca Greenwell has drained 40 three-pointers through the first 12 games and is on pace to drain over 100 three-pointers as a redshirt junior.
The Duke record for three-pointers in a season is 87 by Tricia Liston in 2013-14. Greenwell hit 73 treys as a sophomore and 72 as a freshman.
Greenwell is also averaging 20.5 points a contest to open the season. Only three times in Blue Devil history has a Duke player averaged over 20.0 points a game -- Chris Moreland (23.0, 1985-86), Alana Beard (22.0, 2002-03) and Chris Moreland (20.9, 1986-87).
Home in Cameron...
The Blue Devils have registered a 7-0 record at home this season and are averaging 80.7 points a game in those contests.
Rebecca Greenwell is averaging a team-best 20.7 points, while Lexie Brown (19.3), Oderah Chidom (9.0) and Kyra Lambert (8.9) have paced the Blue Devils.
Greenwell has hit 50.0 percent of her field goals and 48.9 percent from three-point land. She has totaled three contests with 24 or more points.
Brown has totaled four games with 20+ points at home, including three of 25 or more points.
Three-Point Tandem...
The tandem of Rebecca Greenwell and Lexie Brown are one of the most prolific three-point duos in the ACC.
Both have combined to hit 319 three-pointers over their career. In the first 12 games, they have combined to hit 63 three-pointers, which ranks third in the ACC.
The top three-point shooting duo in school history was Tricia Liston and Alexis Jones in 2013-14 with a combined 127 treys.
Best 3-Point Shooting Duos in ACC--
66 - Durr (48), Moore (18) - Louisville
65 - Peterson (33), Cooper (32) - Syracuse
63 - Greenwell (40), Brown (23) - Duke
62 - Watts (43), Walker (19) - UNC
55 - Williams (28), Konig (27) - NC State
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