There might be a day, perhaps even this season, when the Maryland women's basketball team can withstand the severe demands of playing one of the country's finest teams in an uncommonly hostile environment and emerge a winner. Until then, the 14th-ranked Terrapins must settle for nights such as these, when a 71-64 loss to No. 3 Duke on Thursday revealed both the possibilities and pitfalls associated with such a youthful group.
In the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both schools before an announced 5,214 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Maryland looked every bit the match for its adversary through 37-plus minutes, when it led, 60-58. But Duke's Jasmine Thomas, a senior, showed the resolve and shot-making that make her a national player of the year candidate and so dependable in anxious situations.
Her 3-pointer with 1 minute, 58 seconds remaining gave the unbeaten Blue Devils the lead for good, 61-60, and she followed that with an off-balance one-hander 48 seconds later. Then Maryland's fate was all but sealed when Chelsea Gray stole the ball and took it the distance for a layup with 53 seconds to play.
"I thought we let the last three minutes slip away," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said.
"The difference obviously we felt was on the boards. They did a tremendous job just deflating us defensively. ... They finished it. They put 40 minutes together. With our young team, we've got to be able to complete games when we go on the road."
The Terrapins (13-2) were outrebounded, 46-42, for just the second time this season, and the discrepancy was especially profound in the second half, when Duke grabbed more than twice as many offensive rebounds as it did in the first 20 minutes. Maryland entered the game with a plus-16.4 rebounding margin, and its inability to come close to matching that in large part contributed to the end of its 12-game winning streak and its fourth straight loss to Duke (15-0).
Freshman forward Alyssa Thomas was the only Terp with double-figure rebounds (game-high 12), and she added 11 points but missed 12 of 15 shots. Thomas also chipped in with three steals and two assists in 38minutes, the most on either team.
Junior guard Kim Rodgers scored a career-high 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including 3-for-7 on 3-pointers, and was one of just two Maryland players to make more than half her shots. The Terrapins' starting front line of Thomas, Lynetta Kizer, Tianna Hawkins and Diandra Tchatchouang combined to shoot 13-for-40. Maryland shot 38percent overall and was 14-for-21 from the foul line one game after it went just 14-for-25 on free throws.
"We're very happy with our effort at least that we played with today," Rodgers said. "Like Coach B said, for the first 37 minutes we were in it. We were leading for a lot of the game. For us to come down here, for this to be our first ACC game, I think maybe it's a little wake-up call. I think the fact we only lost by seven, that we hung with them shows that we're going to be good as we get better."
Maryland delivered the first barrage of the game by scoring 14 straight points to take a 22-13 lead midway through the first half. It began with a short field goal by freshman center Alicia DeVaughn and two low-post baskets from Tchatchouang, who had nine rebounds but five turnovers. Then Rodgers began what might have been the best stretch of basketball in her career, making consecutive 3-pointers for a 20-13 advantage that compelled a Duke timeout.
Coming out of the stoppage, Rodgers got out in front on a fast break, gathered a pass from sophomore guard Dara Taylor and made a layup. Krystal Thomas made a basket for the Blue Devils, but Rodgers wasn't done. She made one of two free throws and then darted downcourt to wind up on the receiving and scoring end of another fast break for a 25-15 margin with 8:40 to go before intermission.
Duke began clamping down defensively thereafter, though, by pressing Maryland and forcing turnovers. The Blue Devils, meantime, began to show on offense too, scoring 12 of the next 14 points to tie it at 27 with 2:10 to play.
The Terrapins went on another run to close the half that included DeVaughn's put-back after Kizer missed first and Thomas missed after that. Then Kizer made an acrobatic shot at the buzzer that officials had to review to make sure the junior center had released it in time. When they confirmed the basket was good, Maryland took a 33-29 lead into the break off another thrilling moment in one of the most heated rivalries in the country.
"It's everything that Coach has prepared you for," Thomas said of the atmosphere in her first ACC game. "The toughness, the refs and everything. We did a good job until the last three minutes, and if we stick together, this team I think will do well this year."
NO. 3 DUKE 71, NO. 14 MARYLAND 64
MARYLAND--Hawkins 1-4 0-0 2, Tchatchouang 5-10 3-6 14, Thomas 3-15 5-6 11, Kizer 4-11 1-2 9, Barrett 1-7 2-3 4, Mincy 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor 0-0 0-0 0, Cloud 0-0 0-0 0, DeVaughn 2-2 2-2 6, Rodgers 7-12 1-2 18. Totals 23-61 14-21 64.
DUKE--Christmas 2-9 5-7 9, Peters 4-10 1-2 9, K. Thomas 4-7 0-0 8, Selby 0-3 0-0 0, J. Thomas 8-18 2-2 22, Wells 0-1 0-0 0, Gray 3-7 1-2 7, Scheer 2-4 0-0 4, Liston 3-8 4-4 12, Vernerey 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-68 13-17 71.
Halftime--Maryland 33-29. 3-point goals--Maryland 4-10 (Rodgers 3-7, Tchatchouang 1-2, Barrett 0-1), Duke 6-29 (J. Thomas 4-10, Liston 2-6, Scheer 0-1, Christmas 0-2, Selby 0-2, Peters 0-4, Gray 0-4). Fouled out--None. Rebounds--Maryland 42 (Thomas 12), Duke 46 (K. Thomas 10). Assists--Maryland 18 (Barrett 10), Duke 16 (Christmas, Gray, J. Thomas 3). Total fouls--Maryland 16, Duke 16. A--5,214.