COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- As the clock ran to under 10 seconds remaining in the first half, Jason Williams turned around to see what Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was saying. After Maryland's Steve Blake pounced on the unsuspecting junior, stealing the ball, and converting a breakaway layup as the clock expired, Williams realized he had lost more than just the ball.
His team had lost the game's momentum, too.
The Blue Devils were able to keep pace with the Terrapins for exactly 17 seconds, when a Juan Dixon drive to the basket made the score 2-0 and gave Maryland a lead that it would never relinquish. The Terps slowly but steadily increased their lead, capitalizing on their intense defensive pressure by scoring 12 points off Duke turnovers.
However, as they always seem to do, the Blue Devils responded. After two Tahj Holden free throws gave Maryland a 33-20 lead with 3:55 left in the half, Duke seemed to awaken. The Blue Devils took off on a 9-1 run, fueled by fastbreak layups by Williams and center Carlos Boozer.
After Blake hit a runner on the baseline to make the score 36-29 with 40 seconds remaining, Williams slowly dribbled the ball at halfcourt, hoping to drain the shot clock before trying to score on what should have been the half's final possession.
And then, before he knew it, the ball was gone.
"Coach was trying to call a play and I couldn't hear what he was saying," Williams said. "I looked at him and [Blake] stole the ball."
As Williams stood at halfcourt and dribbled, Blake played him with a great deal of space, standing about 10 feet behind the Blue Devils' leading scorer. However, after seeing Williams turn completely around to look at his team's bench, Blake took off, running full speed and slapping the ball away, then converting a layup at the other end of the court as Williams tried in vain to defend him.
Although Williams was the one left looking bewildered, Krzyzewski acknowledged that he was the one responsible for the miscue.
"It's just unfortunate," Krzyzewski said. "I take responsibility for that. This was not a one possession game, though. Certainly, we should have executed that better. If we don't execute, that's my responsibility."
As Blake's layup passed through the basket, what was to be a half capped off by a Blue Devil comeback became a trip to the locker room on a wave of Terrapin energy. The crowd went nuts, the halftime buzzer sounded, and whatever momentum Duke had gained from it's end-of-the-half run was nowhere to be found.
"It was a pretty big play, because if we had scored there we would have gone in down four or five at the half, and then it was our ball coming out," Duke forward Mike Dunleavy said. "It was a momentum changer that we wish we could have back, but give them credit. [Blake] took advantage of a point where we weren't paying attention."
No player goes through an entire season without making mental mistakes. But this wasn't simply one of Williams' six turnovers on the afternoon--it was a play that altered the course of the entire game.
"I think it was huge," Blake said. "The momentum can switch in one play. If they get a big shot, like making a three at the last second, it could change the whole game. Instead, we took it away from them and scored."
For the Blue Devils, the magnitude of the turnaround was immense. After being dominated for nearly the entire first half by a fired up Terrapin squad, Duke had hoped to go into halftime down only by five points, a margin that the Blue Devils knew they could overcome.
Instead, forced to start the second half down by nine, Duke hoped to show an increase in the intensity that was obviously lacking from the first 20 minutes of play. After four minutes of trying, though, Duke reverted to its first-half form. A three-pointer by Dixon made the score 49-35 with 15:57 on the clock; just over five minutes later, two Chris Wilcox free throws capped an 18-4 Terrapin run that extended Maryland's lead to 25 points.
The Blue Devils' uninspired play--especially in a game that determined the conference leader--was certainly unexpected from the No. 1 team in the nation. As Dunleavy pointed out, the first half's final play was a fairly accurate snapshot of Duke's focus--or lack thereof--Sunday afternoon.
"It was atypical of the entire team and program," he said. "We didn't communicate well, and it was just a lapse in concentration. It was a turning point in the game."
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