When Duke and Maryland met at the end of January, the Blue Devils cruised to an 84-64 victory at home. At Comcast Center in College Park, Md. this evening, the Terrapins avenged this 20-point defeat, upsetting No. 2 Duke in an 83-81 nail-biter that came down to the final seconds of the game.
Here’s your postgame recap:
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
- Can Len find his form? Maryland sophomore Alex Len, who was averaging 12.5 points going into tonight's matchup, stepped onto the hardwood in the midst of a five-game funk. His recent slide ended tonight, as he keyed the Terrapins' offense with a team-high 19 points. Pulling down nine boards, the 7-foot-1 center neared a double-double.
- The rested Terrapins vs. the weary Blue Devils? Maryland's last time out on the court before this evening was Sunday, when it fell to Virginia 80-69 at home. Duke, on the other hand, played its third game of the week tonight after tightly-contested matchups against Boston College and North Carolina in the past seven days. The Blue Devils exhibited clear signs of weariness in the second half, when the Terrapins took an early lead that they would not relinquish until the waning moments of the game.
- It's 'Sheed's time to shine, the sequel. Duke freshman Rasheed Sulaimon dropped a career-high 25 points against the Terrapins when they traveled to Durham to face the Blue Devils. 'Sheed's road performances have been underwhelming, a trend that he looked to reverse in Duke's last trip to College Park, Md. for a long time. Although the guard struggled from the field tonight—going 4-for-12—he was a key contributor in the game, finishing with 16 points and tying the score twice in the second half. He knotted the score 81-81 in the final seconds of the game after the Blue Devils trailed for the majority of the second half.
Three key plays:
- 0:44, first half. Maryland sophomore Nick Faust capped the Terrapins' 5-0 run with a three-point jumper, sending them into the locker room with a 35-34 halftime lead and energizing a raucous home crowd.
- 18:11, second half. After Sulaimon tied the score 37-37 with a three-pointer following a quiet first half, Len made a layup that gave Maryland a lead that it held onto for almost the entire second half.
- 0:17, second half. Sulaimon made his third free throw after getting fouled on a three-point attempt, knotting the score at 81-81 and giving the Blue Devils hope after they were behind for almost of the entire second half. That hope was dashed after two Seth Allen free throws gave Maryland an 83-81 lead and eventually the victory.
Three key stats:
- Maryland made 60 percent of its field-goal attempts. The Terrapins entered the game hitting 47.2 percent of their field goals. Their efficient shooting tonight played a key role in their signature win against the Blue Devils.
- The Terrapins outrebounded the Blue Devils 38-17: Maryland had its way against Duke on the boards, grabbing more than twice as many rebounds as the Blue Devils. Duke allowed the Terrapins—who pulled down eight offensive rebounds—to collect too many second-chance opportunities.
- Duke senior Mason Plumlee scored only four points and fouled out: Duke needed a strong performance from Plumlee, a National Player of the Year contender. He didn't deliver, however, scoring four points and fouling of the game.
And the Duke game ball goes to … Seth Curry. Curry started the game with 6-for-6 shooting from the field. He finished with 25 points, leading the Blue Devils in scoring.
And the Maryland game ball goes to … Alex Len. The Maryland center had an outstanding game on both ends of the court. He led the Terrapins in points and rebounds with 19 and nine, respectively, and defensively, he limited Plumlee to four points.
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