March 31, 2009
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RALEIGH, N.C. - The top-seeded University of Maryland women's basketball team did not have another magical comeback up its sleeve in Monday night's Raleigh Regional Final, falling to third-seeded Louisville 77-60 at RBC Center in a loss that brought to a close the careers of two of the Terrapins' finest ever.
Louisville (33-4) never trailed and used a 21-point, 13-rebound performance by All-American senior Angel McCoughtry as well as a 24-0 edge in bench points to snap Maryland's 15-game win streak and advance to its first ever Final Four. With the loss, the Terrapins (31-5) bid farewell to their second- and third-leading scorers in school history as Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver end their careers as the winningest class in Maryland annals.
Coleman, who scored a school-record 42 points in the Terps' miraculous Sweet 16 comeback versus Vanderbilt on Saturday, and Toliver were named to the All-Region Team while McCoughtry was named the Raleigh Regional Most Outstanding Player. Maryland fell shy of the Final Four with an Elite Eight loss for the second straight year, but its senior class leaves with an all-time record of 126-19 (.869), the 2006 national championship and an array of team and individual accomplishments that will not easily be duplicated.
"I'm so proud of (Coleman and Toliver)," Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said. "What they were able to accomplish during their four years in a Maryland uniform is immeasurable.
"It's always tough to have that moment for seniors, for their careers to end, especially two seniors like these two. ... You hate for it to end like this."
Coleman scored a team-high 18 points with four rebounds while Toliver netted 14 points with four assists and two steals. Sophomore guard Marah Strickland scored an NCAA Tournament personal-best 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting (3-for-6 from 3-point range).
Maryland junior forward Demauria Liles, the 2008 Junior College National Player of the Year, concluded her first campaign in Division I by posting a double-double effort of 17 rebounds and 10 points. It marked her second 17-rebound game of the 2009 NCAA Tournament - the second-highest single-game total in Maryland NCAA history - while shooting 3-of-7 from the floor with two assists, two steals and a block in 36 minutes.
The Cardinals, under former Maryland assistant Jeff Walz, scored 28 points off 21 Maryland turnovers aided by a Terrapin opponent-high 12 steals (three by McCoughtry, the nation's steals leader). Louisville built a 10-point lead, 24-14, at 7:53 of the first half but Maryland closed to within three points until McCoughtry's buzzer-beating jumper gave the Cards a 30-25 halftime advantage.
Coleman and Toliver combined for just seven first-half points and 3-of-15 shooting in the opening 20 minutes while McCoughtry also struggled, opening the game 4-for-14 form the field. As a team, the Terps were just 10-for-31 in the first half (32.3 percent).
U of L (50 percent) and Maryland (47.8 percent) shot with greater efficiency after intermission and the Terps had a 5-2 edge in 3-pointers following the break, but the Cardinals sank 15-of-17 free throws in the second half to pull away.
Much like Saturday's tilt with Vanderbilt, the Terps allowed a small halftime deficit to balloon into double digits soon after the resumption of play. Maryland found itself down 13 points five minutes into the second half sparked by six Deseree Byrd points.
Byrd, a sophomore guard averaging 7.5 points per game, tied her career-high with 17 points for U of L. Cardinals' freshman Becky Burke, who averages 4.8 points per contest, contributed 10 points off the bench including a 3-pointer to put Louisville up 14 points with just over seven minutes remaining.
Maryland responded with an 8-2 run capped by a Coleman 3-pointer to close to within eight points, 60-52, with 5:07 on the clock. Louisville, however, countered with seven unanswered points including a 3-point dagger by McCoughtry en route to a 17-8 surge to close the game.
Coleman scored 16 points after halftime on 5-of-6 shooting but it wasn't enough to carry the Terps to their second Final Four in four years.
"They did a really good job of making us uncomfortable, throwing different looks at us," Toliver said. "They wanted to be physical from the beginning. We knew they were going to be that way, and we never really could get into rhythm."
Coleman, a first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference pick, averaged 21.8 points and 12.5 rebounds in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, the fourth and third highest averages, respectively, in Maryland single-tournament history. Toliver, the ACC Player of the Year, averaged 18.8 points in four Maryland NCAA games this postseason.
Maryland will return three starters next year from this season's 30-win team, including 2009 ACC Rookie of the Year Lynetta Kizer. The 6-foot-4 center will be joined by fellow starters Strickland and Liles as well as returning letterwinners Anjale Barrett, Drey Mingo, Yemi Oyefuwa and Kim Rodgers.
The 2009 ACC champions have made six consecutive NCAA appearances and have won at least 20 games in a school-record five straight seasons.
