COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Duke was determined not to suffer a repeat of its 14-point loss at Maryland a year ago. On Saturday, the Blue Devils succeeded - they lost by 15 points instead.
Led by Drew Nicholas' 24 points and Ryan Randle's 17 rebounds, the No. 17 Terrapins (10-4, 3-1 in the ACC) overcame a six-point halftime deficit to upend the No. 1 Blue Devils (12-1, 3-1) 87-72 in the first meeting between the two schools at Maryland's new Comcast Center.
"Maryland played like a veteran team today, and we played like a young team," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Drew Nicholas was sensational, and Randle I think had more rebounds than all of our big guys together. He got every rebound and he played a great game. They just played better than we did. They deserved to win."
Despite their youth, Duke's shooting accuracy helped it in posting a 43-37 halftime lead. The Blue Devils shot 17-of-33 from the floor in the first half, including freshman marksman J.J. Redick's 3-of-4 performance from behind the arc. Redick scored the half's final five points, as he stole the ball from Maryland's Tahj Holden before converting a three-pointer at the buzzer.
"I thought that in the first half, when they shot 51 percent, that we played pretty good defense," Maryland head coach Gary Williams said. "I thought Duke made a couple tough shots. Our players were doing exactly what we asked them to do. But good players do that. We just tried to keep the focus at the half that we were playing good defense."
Maryland didn't just stay focused - the Terps got motivated.
"It would be a different game if we came out in the second half with some spirit and excitement and not let them get a quick 6-0 run on us," Duke point guard Chris Duhon said. "I think then it could have been a different game."
But while Duke's second-half efforts began to wane, Maryland's only became more intense.
"I thought that in the second half our execution on the offensive end was as good as its been any year against a quality team," Williams said. "We were able to get the ball where we wanted to."
Duke, however, was not. After Jamar Smith followed a Steve Blake miss with a dunk to give Maryland a 61-56 lead with 12:17 remaining, the Blue Devils looked to their outside shooting to close the gap. But while Duke was 5-of-9 from three-point range in the first half, the final 20 minutes were a different story. Duke's next five field-goal attempts were all from long range, and none found the basket. Two misses by Duhon, two from Redick, and one from Dahntay Jones-who led the Blue Devils with 26 points - highlighted Duke's shooting woes.
"I only got three looks [in the second half,] and only two of them were good," said Redick, who scored 13 points before fouling out with 5:14 remaining. "They cut off my looks. I didn't knock down the two I had, and on one Nicholas blocked my shot."
Duke's field-goal drought ended nearly six minutes later, when Dahntay Jones converted a layup with 7:19 remaining. By then, however, Maryland had built a 75-62 lead, a margin that Duke was not able to reduce to single-digits for the remainder of the game.
"When we did get the lead we had the patience to wait until we forced them into a couple of defensive situations where we either scored or they fouled us," Williams said.
"We have to come into hostile environments and knock down free throws," said Duhon, who finished the game with seven points and three assists. "That's a key to us becoming a good team."
While aware of Duke's struggles at the free throw line, Krzyzewski maintained that his team has many other areas where improvement is needed.
"We're concerned about everything," he said. "We've got a team that still has a lot of development, and this is not a good effort on our part."
For Duhon, the Blue Devils' lone captain, that development starts with him.
"I'm responsible for these guys, and I didn't do my job today," he said. "I didn't lead them, I didn't give them the enthusiasm and excitement that they need from their leader. I let my team down."
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