The 2nd Half Doron was eager to make an impact in the second half, and she quickly intercepted Smith to find Toliver for an open jumper. Waner found Harding rolling to the basket to answer, but Doron answered with a drive. Harding simply took the ball and killed everyone off the dribble yet again. It was at this point that I wondered why Frese wasn't trying something to slow Harding down, like a zone. When I asked her that in the press conference, she said that a box-and-one or other junk defense wouldn't have worked because Duke had so many other scorers. I also thought that she made have tried trapping or pressing a bit more when Duke started to pull away in the second half, but Frese chose to simply use her base defense. One got the sense that she wanted to use this as a teaching experience, winning or losing with what got them there. Indeed, that's Frese's philosophy in a nutshell with her team--play to your strengths and put pressure on your opponent by continually attacking on offense. The problem was that their lack of cohesion on offense (which made them much easier to guard) was exposed even further on the defensive end. On Maryland's next possession, Waner grabbed a pass that Gay tipped, threw it ahead to Harding and watched Smith finish the fast break. This was the game in microcosm for Duke--a hustle play, a player going strong to a loose ball, and then a smooth finish as the Devils looked to push the ball. Harding took a charge (photo) and Bales found a Smith for a crawling jumper. After a Coleman jumper, A.Waner attacked the basket and was fouled, hitting both. The Devils went cold and Maryland went on their expected run, and 11-3 spree. That started with 7 straight points as Duke missed 6 shots, and it was no coincidence that they did it mostly off the dribble & going toward the basket. Emily Waner came off the bench and continued to play excellent off-ball defense, getting a steal and finding Harding in transition for a three point play. Cheek subbed in and missed a shot & turned the ball over, helping the Terps get within 54-47 with 11:50 left. That's when Duke went on the run that slammed the door shut. It started with a broken play when Gay turned the ball over on a drive, but Abby alertly stepped in front of a potential outlet pass and tossed it back to Carrem. Left open, Carrem confidently sank a 17' jumper that deflated the Terps and put Duke back in the driver's seat. After a Perry miss, Bales powered up past the smaller Perry for a score. Harding found another open lane and forced a Maryland time-out, making it 60-47 with ten minutes to go. Emily Waner came up with yet another big steal and this time Bales took one dribble and drained a 15' jumper. Duke's confidence was soaring at this point, as Bales forced Langhorne to put the ball on the deck and forced a turnover. On the other end, Harding found her inside for an easy layup, making it 64-47. Doron hit a long jumper to make it 64-49, and the Terps got the ball back. Bales blocked Colemand and A.Waner got the ball to Harding, who was clotheslined by Toliver on the way to the basket. Lindsey hit one foul shot and Doron sank another jumper to bring Maryland within 14 points with under eight minutes to go. On Duke's next possession, Harding went to the floor to clean up an Abby missed three. Mitchell posted up but alertly passed the ball out to Bales for another long jumper. After a Toliver fadeaway jumper, Abby found Ali for an easy score inside. Bales was simply having her way against shorter opponents. Langhorne missed 2 free throws and Gay got the rebound. She then grabbed an offensive rebound off a Harding miss and hit Smith inside for an easy layup. Toliver tweaked her ankle and left the game, but with an 18-point deficit with under six minutes to go, the game was effectively over anyway. After another Maryland miss, A.Waner passed to Harding in transition to put Duke up 20. Down the stretch, the two teams traded baskets. Duke managed the clock nicely but stayed aggressive at both ends. Bales blocked Doron and Smith kicked up the fast break but lost the handle. Mitchell grabbed the loose ball and slithered in between Langhorne & Harper to push the lead back to 20. Both teams had another flurry of misses and turnovers over the next three minutes, but the clock was certainly Duke's friend. With under a minute left, Abby Waner drained 2 threes. Doron sank a meaningless three with seconds left as the crowd reached a fever pitch and Duke's players started to celebrate. Harding went out to a huge ovation, as did Bales, and after the game Smith & Waner went over to chest-bump Harding as the team enjoyed a well-earned win. While the Terps shot 52% in the second half, they lost their rebounding edge and were sloppy with the ball. Duke cranked up their fast break and never wavered in their resolve. The game plan and adjustments made for the Terps worked perfectly--they rotated and doubled Langhorne constantly and threw a lot of different looks against her. Sometimes they left her open on the jumper, they used different players to double-team her and generally tried to be unpredictable. No matter what defense they were using, the players executed it with precision & passion. The final numbers were mind-boggling considering how well Maryland had played coming into this game. The Terps were held 27 points under their scoring average, 16% below their FG%, and 10 assists fewer than normal. The Terps outrebound their opponents by 18 a game, but Duke battled them to a standstill in that category. While Maryland was the first team to score over 60 points against Duke this season, they were yet another opponent held under 40% from the field. Coach G noted after the game that she urged Harding and Bales to make Maryland stop them. The Terps didn't so much as double-team Harding or face-guard her in an effort to keep the ball out of her hands, but they did try to double-team Bales at times. Her ability to step outside and leave driving lanes opened thwarted that approach. When asked about the standing ovation for Harding, Coach G noted that she was happy to see the students find and show respect for "who she is, and who we are". She mentioned that the students lingered after this game, wanting to extend the experience. All of that said, this win didn't make Duke win the national title last April--it was just one regular-season win. Frese noted the same thing, though she did lament that her team was stuck in slow motion while Duke was on fast-forward. They also look forward to the rematch in a sold-out Comcast Center. For Duke, they should take their performance as a confidence builder, knowing that they can compete with anyone. However, they must remember how they got to this point: teamwork, focus, intensity and attention to detail. Most of all, it was their aggressiveness as a team at both ends that won this game; as long as they attack all of their opponents with the kind of passion & ferocity that they demonstrated here, then this could be a very special season. Copyright © 2006 DWHOOPS.COM (Orin A. Day, Durham, NC, USA.) All Rights Reserved.