Afterward Giacone was upset and Flyers coach Shauna Green – who had given the redshirt senior a quick “C’mon girl, you got this,” pep talk – went straight to the heart of her disappointment:
“These guys (three redshirt seniors) came back (this season) for a reason. They could have been doing anything right now.
“They didn’t come back just to go through the motions and get another masters, they can back to play basketball. More importantly, they came back to win basketball games and win a championship. So they are determined.
“There is only one mission they have: To win every time they step on the floor.
“That’s why they’re upset. That’s why it hurts.”
It’s rare for the UD women to get a marquee opponent like Duke to come into UD Arena and even rarer for the Flyers to knock off one of the powerbrokers of women’s college basketball.
Granted the Blue Devils have had a couple of off seasons by their standards – and last year they played only four games before mothballing the season because of COVID concerns – but they have gone to the NCAA Tournament 23 of the past 26 seasons, been to the Elite Eight 11 times and twice played in the national championship game.
And now they have a celebrated new coach in Kara Lawson, who’s in her second season after being a two-time All-American at Tennessee, playing 13 years in the WNBA, being part of 10 Olympic gold medal wins as a player and a coach – most recently at the Tokyo Games this past summer – being a Boston Celtics assistant coach and working as an ESPN color commentator.
In fact, that’s how she once came to Dayton.
“I watched a practice in the practice facility on campus,” she said of the prep trip to see the UD men, who were getting ready to play a game she would broadcast.
“This is the first time I’ve been to the Arena, though, and I was thoroughly impressed with everything: The team, the coaches, the environment.”
The game drew a lively crowd of 2,500, who were enticed, in part, because of the storied opponent. but mostly because so much is expected of the Flyers this season.
After going 14-5 last year, they were unanimous preseason picks to win the Atlantic 10 Conference this season. A big reason is the return of three pillars of their program, redshirt seniors Erin Whalen, Araion Bradshaw and Giacone.
Because of last year’s fractured COVID season, the NCAA didn’t count those campaigns against anyone’s eligibility and players got another year tacked onto their college careers if they wanted it.
The UD trio has all graduated, but Bradshaw, who started her career on the national championship South Carolina team, and Whalen, who played two years at Vanderbilt before transferring to UD, are returning for a sixth year of college, counting seasons they had to sit to meet NCAA transfer rules. Giacone is in her fifth season at UD.
All that makes for big promise and early on Friday night Giacone admits she let the moment overcome her.
“I wasn’t very proud of the way I started,” she said of a first quarter performance that included two missed shots, a turnover and a defensive lapse that allowed a Duke score. “I think the jitters got to me.
“I take the blame.”
The 6-foot-1 forward said her brief conversation with Green at halftime helped her refocus. She started to drove on the Blue Devils and finished with 15 points.
“She told me to have a short memory and don’t worry about the first half,” Giacone said. “She told me that I could score on them. That I should get rid of all the counter moves and take it like I do in practice. And that’s what I did in the second half.”
Green said she knew Giacone needed a quick reset
“She wanted this game so bad, it almost kind of paralyzed her a little bit. I was just trying to make her laugh and lighten up because I knew she’d be ready to play and she was.
“I trust this group with everything. They prepare at an elite level, work at an elite level and compete at an elite level. And we’re going to win some of these games.”
The Flyers gave up 24 points in the first quarter and found themselves trailing by a dozen, 24-12. They then went on a 17-3 run and took the lead, 29-27, midway through the second quarter,
The taller, quicker, more athletic Blue Devils – who are bolstered by seven transfers, most from big name programs – went on another run and led by 12 again just after the half. And once again the Flyers put together a gritty 12-0 comeback to tie the score, 44-44, with 4:22 left in the third quarter.
But Duke had one more big flex left and in the final stanza it made seven of nine field goal attempts while the Flyers went 5 for 19 and missed all four of their three point attempts, including two by Whalen, their long range ace, who made 4 of 16 shots on the night for 13 points.
In that final period, Duke outrebounded UD and made three of its eight blocked shots on the night.
UD uncharacteristically made just two of 11 three-point attempts Friday. Duke, who made 10 of 26, was led by Lexi Gordon, who played two seasons at UConn and the past two at Texas Tech. She made five of 10 three-pointers for 15 points.
Cook, the 5-foot-6 sophomore from Cincinnati, led the Flyers for the second game in a row. She had 18 against the Blue Devils and 23 in Tuesday’s opener against Alabama A &M.
After Friday’s game, both head coaches praised her.
“She’s really a good player,” Lawson said. “I’m glad we don’t have to play them again.”
Green talked about how Cook has the capability to score anytime she has the ball and how a game like this “helps her learn what it takes at a higher level.
“She is the future…She and her teammates are the future.”
In the future, Green – who takes the public address microphone after each home game and thanks the crowd before she leaves the court – said she’d like to see her team continue to be a big draw.
She said the noise of the crowd made it seem like there were more than 2,500 people there and she especially praised the ruckus raised by the vocal Red Scare student section
“I really think we should be able to get over 2,500 to a game,” Green said. “Why does it take Duke and all those guys to bring that?
“These women have been constantly winning and work extremely hard and this community loves basketball. I hope we can get these crowds every single game to support them.” Then, with a moment to reflect on the Flyers’ next outing – an 11 a.m. tip Wednesday against Toledo – she started to smile:
“Well, I don’t know about an 11 a.m. game….but 7 p.m. games.”
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