Kristi Toliver's 3-pointers buried Duke. Again.
Six minutes into the second half, the Maryland junior enjoyed a two-minute sequence in which she hit two threes and a long 2-pointer-all with a hand in her face---to extend the Terrapins' lead to 13 after Duke had pulled to within seven. The Blue Devils continued to claw back throughout the period, but could not overcome the deficit as No. 4 Maryland put away No. 12 Duke 76-69 Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
"I'm really sick of Toliver's threes," junior Abby Waner said, calling to mind Toliver's 3-pointer that forced overtime in an eventual Maryland win over Duke in the 2006 National Championship. "But she's a great shooter. She's got that high release and she fades away so it's really tough to defend. That's a dagger when you hit back-to-back threes like that."
And Toliver's ability to consistently hit big shots, coupled with Crystal Langhorne's low-post dominance, derailed any chance for the Blue Devils to mount a rally and cut Maryland's advantage.
On seven different occasions in the second period, the Blue Devils sliced Maryland's lead to six points. But every time they trimmed the deficit, Duke seemed to hit a wall at the six-point mark, either missing a shot, committing a turnover or fouling a Maryland player.
"It was pretty frustrating because we know that we have to be able to play with poise, convert when we need to if we want to win in games like this," sophomore Keturah Jackson said. "Teams as good as Maryland will capitalize on our mistakes."
Although Duke (19-7, 8-3 in the ACC) scored the first points of the game, they fell behind 5-4 and never led again. The team came within five points of Maryland (27-2, 11-1) with 2:51 left in the contest, but the Terrapins' experience enabled the visitors to maintain their edge and collect their first victory at Cameron since 2000.
"Never getting to win at Cameron is a really big deal," Maryland senior Laura Harper said. "Coming in here and doing that is something so special for us, and I know as a team we feel great about that."
Duke found some of its poise in the final half by turning to its defensive strength: a full-court, trapping press. The Blue Devils forced Maryland to commit 18 turnovers during the period, including eight by Toliver, who finished with 12 in the game for a dubious, self-dubbed double-double. The Terrapins' 26 turnovers-10 more than Duke-led to 16 second-chance points for the Blue Devils in the second half.
But because of early struggles, it was too little and too late to overtake the Terrapins.
"If we can start [our pressure] earlier, make them work a little bit harder in the first half, then I think we'll be able to get some more turnovers," Waner said. "We've just got to be able to put it together for a whole game."
Duke's miscues started in the first half, as the team allowed the Terrapins to take control of the game at the foul line. Duke committed six more fouls than its opponent, entering halftime with an eight-point deficit that could be accounted for at the free-throw line. In the game, Maryland shot 33 free throws, compared to just 11 for Duke.
When the Blue Devils found themselves in a hole, they moved away from an inside-out attack and started forcing outside shots.
"We got up and down and kind of crazy in the first half," head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "There were times that we bailed out Maryland a little bit by shooting quick. I think we need to be more patient."
With just three games separating Duke from the ACC Tournament, both McCallie and Waner acknowledged that the Blue Devils need to figure out how to play a complete 40 minutes of basketball. And if Duke can find a way to do so, perhaps this season won't end with another heartbreaking three from Toliver.
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