FINAL: No. 8 Duke 71 - Maryland 59

FINAL: Duke 71, Maryland 59:

This is a quality win for Joanne P. McCallie's squad on a night when it looked like the Blue Devils weren't too interested in playing defense. Perhaps it was fatigue from the Georgia Tech game just two days ago, but Duke never looked quite as sharp as usual today against the Terps. When it counted, however, the Blue Devils (23-4, 11-1 in the ACC) turned up the intensity defensively, and squeaked out a win at home. Karima Christmas is the hero today for the Blue Devils, as the junior guard picked up the slack for an uncharacteristically off Jasmine Thomas. Thomas's struggles will be the story of the day however, as March looms closer for a potential tournament favorite. Just how far can Duke go if its leading scorer continues to have trouble from the field? Be sure to check the Chronicle Women's Basketball special, coming soon, for a complete run-down of Duke's chances in the NCAA Tournament.

Duke 70, Maryland 59, 30.9 seconds remaining:

Jasmine Thomas passed over the Maryland press to half court, and Joy Cheek found a streaking Krystal Thomas for an easy two. This game is all but official now.

Duke 67, Maryland 59, 1:16:

The Terps have started to foul the Duke ball handlers on the inbound, so if Duke can make its free throws, this game should be in the books. Karima Christmas made two from the line, sending the Terps into a scramble for points.

Duke 65, Maryland 59, 1:17:

After Jasmine Thomas missed the second of two free throws, Maryland reserve Anjale Barrett drove the length of the court, beating the Duke press, and finished at the rim to draw the Terps to within six.

Duke 61, Maryland 53, 3:03:

The Blue Devils full-court press has forced a few consecutive empty possessions for Maryland, and a Joy Cheek 3-point play has extended the Duke lead to eight.

Duke 54, Maryland 51, 5:30:

The game has slowed down a bit, and it's now become a contest of half-court execution. A Jasmine Thomas layup and a Krystal Thomas turnaround hook inside have buoyed the Devils, but the Duke forwards are having a very difficult time defending Kizer inside, and the Terrapin substitute has made Duke pay.

Duke 48, Maryland 47, 7:37:

Not to harp on a single player, but Jasmine Thomas looks like a completely different player than the one that scored 29 points on Ohio State and 28 against Southern California earlier this year. Whether it's a lack of confidence or simply fatigue is something only Thomas can know, but with Duke's star in the current slump that she is, the Blue Devils might have to look for a different No. 1 scoring option if they want to win this game.

Duke 47, Maryland 47, 9:55:

There's a certain sense of urgency to this game that's made itself apparent within the past few minutes, as each team is seemingly trying to score 5 points on a single possession. Defenders are flying into passing lanes on both teams, and players are collapsing on shooters inside the paint. With the game tied, the win will likely go to the team that's able to show some semblance of poise over the final 10 minutes, as right now, both teams are simply hyperactive on both ends.

Maryland 46, Duke 43, 12:40:

Not only are the Terrapins currently outworking the Blue Devils on the floor, a very coordinated Maryland contingent is outperforming a much more numerous Duke fan base in the stands. Blue Devil fans haven't had much to cheer for in the last 20 minutes or so, as Duke looks completely different from the team that crushed North Carolina and N.C. State a week ago.

Maryland 44, Duke 43, 14:16:

Jasmine Thomas cannot buy a bucket in the second half thus far. The possession after clanking an open 3-pointer, Thomas made an incisive drive around two Terrapin defenders to an open bucket...and missed the lay-up. If Thomas continues to struggle this mightily, it's going to be tough for the Blue Devils to close out the game.

Duke 38, Maryland 38, 16:57 left in the second half:

Both teams have come out of the locker room with heightened defensive intensity. A Lori Bjork 3-pointer has tied the game at 38. Just to quantify how cold Duke has been: the Blue Devils have made two shots from the field in the past 10 minutes of game action.

HALFTIME, Duke 36, Maryland 33:

A Maryland offensive foul with just over five seconds left gave the Blue Devils the final shot of the half, and a Karima Christmas drive yielded a much needed two points to help swing the momentum going into the half. McCallie will not be happy with the way her team has played, especially defensively, in the last 10 minutes.

Duke 32, Maryland 31 - 2:19:

Two Lori Bjork free throws have cut the Duke lead to one, and the Blue Devils look completely out of sync within the zone defense. The Blue Devil guards are overplaying the primary ball handler and not switching cleanly when the ball is swung from side to side, leaving the Terrapin perimeter players on the wings with an extra second or two to decide what to do with the ball. Duke's outside shooting continues to be a problem.

Duke 32, Maryland 26 - 3:57:

On cue, the Terps have scored four unanswered, as the Duke shooters have finally gone cold from outside. Oyefuwa and Kizer have done a good job of protecting the paint defensively, as Vernerey and Joy Cheek aren't finding anything easy inside.

Duke 32, Maryland 22 - 6:19 left:

You can tell both teams really want this win, players have been diving for loose balls all game, and the post players are really scrapping inside. Joy Cheek's 3-pointer (over the zone, again) has extended the Duke lead, and if the Terps don't regain their early shooting form quickly, this game could start to slip away for them.

Duke 24, Maryland 19 - 9:36 left:

Head coach Joanne P. McCallie made the switch to a 2-3 zone to protect the paint, and the defensive adjustment as allowed Duke to create a little bit of breathing room. Maryland's last four possessions: a missed jumper at the end of the shot clock, and three consecutive travels. Karima Christmas canned another 3-pointer over the Maryland zone, and Brenda Frese is showing no signs that Maryland will switch up its defense.

Duke 19, Maryland 16 - 12:52 left:

What's usually been a boon to the Blue Devils -- solid man-to-man defense-- is being cut to shreds by the Terps. Maryland has done a good job cutting to the basket, and the guards have more often than not found the open shooter. On the other side of the court, Maryland's 2-3 zone has proven completely ineffective against Duke's hot shooters. Jasmine Thomas continues to be cold from the field, but her teammates have done a more than admirable job making up for her misses.

Duke 11, Maryland 10 - 15:19 left in the first half:

Both teams came out cold, with Jasmine Thomas missing a pair of jumpers, and Diandra Tchatchouang clunking a pair of free throws, but the Maryland forward made up for the misses by burying a contested 3-pointer. Joy Cheek answered on the ensuing possession with a corner-3 of her own, and each team is beginning to find its own offensive rhythm early. Both defenses have done a good job keeping the ball out of the paint and forcing jumpers, but there isn't any defense to quell hot shooting.

Starting Line-ups:

For the Terps:  G Dara Taylor, G Lori Bjork, G Kim Rodgers, F Diandra Tchatchouang, C Lynetta Kizer

For the Blue Devils: G Jasmine Thomas, G Keturah Jackson, F Bridgette Mitchell, F Joy Cheek, C Krystal Thomas

Pregame:

Today in Cameron Indoor Stadium, No. 8 Duke (22-4, 10-1 in the ACC) takes on a hungry Maryland Terrapins squad that’s looking to climb its way back into the top half of the ACC standings. The Terps (18-8, 5-6) have historically proven themselves to be tough matchup for the Blue Devils, as the two teams split the season series last year. Duke eked out a 58-57 victory in the Comcast Center, when Jasmine Thomas’s 20 points led Duke to a quality win in a hostile environment. Today, the Blue Devils will have the Crazies behind them, but it remains to be seen if Jasmine Thomas can regain her early season form, as Duke’s leading scorer has struggled from the field as of late at home. Duke’s defense could be the story today however, as the Blue Devils have been the best defensive squad in the ACC this season, and are coming off of a good showing in Atlanta two days ago, when Duke held No. 19 Georgia Tech to 50 points en route to a 14-point victory. We’ll be back at the tip with the starting line-ups.