Duke women rely on depth

Bench provides scoring and more

Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie considers her current bench players the deepest and most talented group she has ever coached.

McCallie, in her second women's basketball season with the Blue Devils, isn't overly analytical about lineups or starters, and she considers the bench an extension of the starting group that can change from game to game and over the course of a season.

She often says that a player can start and be non-productive. So she just wants everyone playing well.

With No. 5 Duke (13-1, 1-0 ACC) hosting rival and No. 14 Maryland (13-2, 1-0) tonight, McCallie finds that her bench is providing production, strength and character for her team that could be critical as the tough ACC season gets under way.

Duke's deep bench may serve the Blue Devils well against a more inexperienced Maryland team than coach Brenda Frese has had in several seasons.

"We challenge our bench to be better than any other bench," McCallie said. "We provide the numbers and scouting reports. ... Now go out there and get it done."

Over the past six games, Duke's non-starters have averaged 41.5 points per game. The bench has outscored 12 of 14 opponents this season.

As sophomore Karima Christmas scored a career-high 21 points on Friday, the Devils' bench outscored Miami 41-12 in the team's first ACC game.

Against Southern California on Dec. 19, Duke's bench scored 45 points, an effort that helped the Devils rally from a 17-point deficit and secure a 97-89 overtime victory.

Duke's roster includes three McDonald's All-Americans -- Joy Cheek, Krystal Thomas and Bridgette Mitchell -- and two other Women's Basketball Coaches Association high school All-Americans -- Shay Selby and Christmas.

Christmas, a 5-foot-11 forward from Texas, is often one of the first players off the bench, along with Cheek.

"I always know what I'm going to get from Karima," McCallie said. "She defends hard and she'll rebound."

Recently, Christmas has shown she can score as well. Against Stanford on Dec. 16, she scored a then-career high 14 points, connecting on two critical 3-pointers. Since then she has averaged 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals. She has hit 57.1 percent of her field-goal attempts and is 7-of-10 from 3-point range.

She said she's gaining more confidence in her ability to attack the basket and contribute anywhere on the floor. She treats every opportunity to play as if she might get kicked off the team.

"Just always be ready to do something," Christmas said. "If you don't go in for the first five minutes, don't put yourself down. When your get in there make something happen."

Duke senior Abby Waner, a well-versed basketball fan, has taken an interest in the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers this season in part because of their bench.

"There's never a letdown, there's always a spark off the bench," Waner said. "That's what we need from our team because we just can't play five per game."

Waner said the team acknowledged that fact after a loss to Hartford on Nov. 21. She said they realized they have much to offer in every aspect of the game -- speed, height, defense -- and it would be foolish to squander it by not playing hard. So the starters and bench now collide daily in practice.

She said they've all vowed to be more aggressive, a direct correlation to how the team is currently playing.

"There are elbows thrown," she said, "snide comments that are made because we're competitive."