Duke 66, Maryland 64

GREENSBORO - Maryland never makes it easy for Duke. 

So it was no surprise that Friday's quarterfinal game at the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament came down to the final seconds, with the top-seeded Blue Devils holding on for a 66-64 victory over the ninth-seeded Terrapins at Greensboro Coliseum.

Joanne P. McCallie’s team resisted pressure to wilt as the Terps pulled even at 63-63 with 2 minutes, 19 seconds remaining. The Devils, who had rallied from 11-points down in the first half, moved ahead for good with a free throw by guard Bridgette Mitchell, a steal by center Krystal Thomas and a layup by forward Joy Cheek.

From there, the Devils stood their ground defensively over the final 1:15.

Duke’s 6-foot-4 center Thomas denied Maryland’s go-to post player 6-4 Lynetta Kizer from going where she wanted. Thomas, who ranks third in blocks in the conference, twice swatted Kizer’s shot attempts down the stretch.

“You win by two points that means you had to grind it out,” Cheek said. “You were in tough situations. Time and score situations. They could have had a 3 at the end and won the game. It shows your focus. It shows how hungry you are when you can get those kind of wins out.”

Since falling in the final game of the regular season at North Carolina, the Devils (25-5) have rededicated themselves to the goal of securing the program’s first ACC Tournament championship since 2004. They face fourth-seeded Georgia Tech on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Yellow Jackets advanced with a 52-45 victory over fifth-seeded Wake Forest in the tournament's opening game on Friday.

On McCallie’s toughness meter the Devils rated high against Maryland, even after starting slow, getting outrebounded (29-28) and making just 12 of 19 free throw attempts. They remained poised and scrappy despite mistakes.

“It’s all about how tough you are on the next play,” McCallie said. “I love that about this game because it definitely had it’s imperfections. Turnovers were not good. Free throw shooting was not good. 

“Not everything was on it’s A-[game], but it’s just not about perfection. It’s about the fight. About the will.”

Duke junior guard Jasmine Thomas, named to the conference's All-ACC first team this week, played like one of the league's best players. She scored a game-high 21 points, going 5-for-7 from the 3-point arc, including two in the second half. 

Cheek finished with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists, scoring in double figures for the fourth consecutive game. 

Krystal Thomas finished with five points, four blocks, three steals and and three rebounds, picking up just one foul in 22 minutes. She shadowed Kizer (team-high 16 points) with savvy footwork and body control.

“She had great intelligence where she did not foul,” McCallie said. “Krystal has been working hard. I know she wants to have a complete game defensively and offensively but she gave our team an enormous amount of lift.”

Maryland had four players in double figures, including Anjale Barett (15) and Lori Bjork (14).

These teams had played in close games before, most recently on Jan. 24 when the Devils edged the Terps 58-57. In the second meeting, Duke beat Maryland 71-59 at home.  

Duke has advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament every year since 1995. They have won five tournament titles, though third-year McCallie is searching for her first.

McCallie, named the conference's coach of the year on Thursday, has guided Duke to a share of the conference's regular season championship with second-seeded Florida State. The Devils have notched their 12th straight 25-win season.

Friday's game marked the third straight year Duke and Maryland have faced each other three times during the season. Last season, the Terps needed a 92-89 overtime victory over the Devils to secure the ACC Tournament.

The teams, of course, have history. No Duke supporter will ever forget Maryland’s 78-75 overtime victory in the final game of the 2006 NCAA Tournament, where a heartbreaking 3-pointer by Maryland’s Kristi Toliver forced overtime and eventually denied the Devils their first national championship.

But this time Toliver had graduated. And Marissa Coleman, another graduate, could only watch from the stands.

Duke players said they would enjoy the win for about 15 minutes and then get ready for the next game. They must keep showing just how tough they are.

“It feels good to come in here and grind this win out and move on,” Jasmine Thomas said. “It’s not about executing and doing X’s and O’s, it’s who wants it more. That is what we have to prove this year that we want it more.”