GREENSBORO - Throughout the ACC season, Duke has prided itself on being labeled a defensive-oriented team-the kind of squad that always made the necessary stops.
But Sunday afternoon in the overtime of an ACC Tournament final thriller, that defense simply wasn't up to the task.
After it scored seven straight points, which culminated in a Chante Black tip-in with one second left in regulation, the third-seeded Blue Devils came back down to earth, giving up 11 points to No. 1 Maryland in overtime in a 92-89 loss in Greensboro Coliseum. The Terrapins' 92 points were the most Duke (26-5) has surrendered this season.
"What we needed more than anything else was a few more stops," head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "It was a close game and could have gone either way, but we had to. get a few more stops on the defensive end. We're a pretty good defensive team, and that's the thing that's going to sting for us when we watch it on film."
The Blue Devils players watched helplessly as Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman went for 24 and 28 points, respectively. The two seniors played every single minute of the contest.
Coleman, who would win Tournament MVP, hit the shot that put Maryland (28-4) up for good-a 3-pointer with 2:54 left in overtime. She filled up the stat sheet with 15 rebounds and six assists, and was unstoppable for much of the game.
"The biggest thing was not to foul her," said Carrem Gay, who led all Duke scorers with 19 points and 10 rebounds. "I think that's one thing that we stepped away from.. She got a ton of free-throw attempts. She is a good player. I definitely respect her game."
Coleman made all six of her foul shots in the game. The Terrapins as a whole were excellent from the line, finishing 23-for-24.
The entire game was played at a frenetic pace, and, were it not for the superhuman performances from Coleman and Toliver, Duke's come-from-behind attitude might have dominated the game's storyline.
The Blue Devils found themselves down 10 with 6:02 remaining in the game. Back to back jumpers from Gay cut the lead to six, and, on the ensuing possession, Gay intercepted the ball from Toliver and found a wide-open Jasmine Thomas, who would finish with 16 points and five assists, for an easy layup to cut it to four.
It would then be Thomas's turn to carry Duke's comeback. At 1:18, Thomas drove inside and hit a jumper to cut the Maryland lead back to four. Thirty seconds later, she would hit two clutch foul shots that cut it to two.
On the next series, Anjale Barrett missed a three with 10 seconds left that would have clinched the game for the Terrapins. Thomas grabbed the rebound, run up the court and heaved up a desperation jumper. Black got the offensive board and tipped it in.
"I knew that [Jasmine] was going to attack it, and she only had eight seconds and there was a possibility that it was going to come off and it would probably come off weak side," said Black, who struggled to find her rhythm and finished with just 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting. "I just rose up to the challenge and prayed to God that that tip-in would go in."
Overtime brought with it inspired play from Karima Christmas, who scored six of the team's eight in the extra period, but also missed opportunities and poor defense. After the Coleman three, which put Maryland up 88-87, Duke was done.
Senior guard Abby Waner, who was named to the Tournament's first team for the third straight year, had a shot at a 3-pointer to tie the game with two seconds left, but it wasn't to be.
"Abby is a very strong option," McCallie said. "It's hard to find her open, but I think the team did a pretty good job setting some screens there and executing together, but it didn't come down to a last second play really. We need more [defensive] stops."
The Blue Devils did not get to celebrate under the mountains of confetti and balloons, but they know they were a part of something special: a game that will go down as one of the best in the conference record books.
"This was a great game and should go down in history," said Black. "We played hard but. it's just bad that it went the other way."
NOTES: The Blue Devils are now off until they receive their NCAA Tournament fate March 16.
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