Michael and Scottie. Bird and McHale. Magic and Kareem. Georgia and Sheana?
Senior guard Georgia Schweitzer and sophomore point guard Sheana Mosch spearheaded the Blue Devils' win over the Cavaliers last night, outdueling Virginia's own pair, Schuye LaRue and Svetlana Volnaya. It was a game for the stars, and the night's brightest was left shining at the end.
"In the first half it was Schweitzer that was killing us. She had 15 points in the first half," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "In the second half, Mosch started picking up a lot of those transition baskets and really short jumpers."
Schweitzer scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had two blocks, including a key late-game rejection of an Anna Prillaman three-point attempt that preserved a three-point Blue Devil lead. Her success should be of no surprise to the ACC faithful. Last night's two shots from downtown moved her to 15th on the all-time ACC career three-point list. She also ranks in the top 10 of 10 different Duke career records, including career points and assists.
Mosch's dominance, especially in the second half, might come as more of a surprise. With freshman star Alana Beard out with a dislocated thumb, Mosch picked up the slack on both ends of the floor.
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"We all knew everyone had to step up and contribute more," Mosch said.
Controlling the floor with her penetration and transition buckets, Mosch dominated the final 11 minutes of the game by scoring 12 of her 16 second-half points. She finished the night by tying a career high with 25 points on 12-of-15 shooting.
"I just felt really comfortable with the ball in my hands," Mosch said. "I knew I could drive on them a lot. It's not that hard to make layups."
The most important and symbolic,play of the game occurred with 6.6 seconds left to play and Mosch on the line for a one-and-one. Trailing by three, Virginia needed a Mosch miss and a rebound for one last chance to tie the game.
She did miss the free throw attempt, but instead of a Virginia board, Mosch squeezed between LaRue and Volnaya to grab the ball and seal the victory for the Blue Devils.
"I was really mad that I missed it," Mosch said. "So I had to get it back."
LaRue, Volnaya and the entire Virginia team were equally upset. As they watched Mosch steal the ball, the Cavaliers chance of stealing the game slipped through their fingertips and into the hands of the night's superstar, Sheana Mosch.
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