Feb. 19, 2012
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Tianna Hawkins scored 19 points, including the tiebreaking basket with 14 seconds left, and Maryland (No. 7 ESPN/USA Today, No. 8 AP) defeated fifth-ranked Duke 63-61 Sunday to end the Blue Devils' bid to go unbeaten in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Laurin Mincy had 17 points for the Terrapins (23-4, 10-4). Alyssa Thomas grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked a last-second shot by Haley Peters to secure the victory.
The game drew a crowd of 15,150, eighth-largest in school history. It was also the eighth-largest crowd to watch an ACC regular-season game.
Elizabeth Williams scored 19 points and Chelsea Gray had 16 for Duke (22-4, 13-1).
After a three-point play by Hawkins gave Maryland a 61-59 lead with 43.6 seconds left, Gray tied it with a driving layup. Hawkins then followed a miss by Thomas with a putback, setting the stage for Duke's final possession.
The Blue Devils worked the ball to Peters in the left corner, but Thomas ran over and swatted the potential 3-point shot out of bounds as time expired.
Duke played its first game without sophomore guard Richa Jackson, who tore a ligament in her left knee on Wednesday and is lost for the season. The depleted Blue Devils got points from only four players in the first half and had just two finish in double figures.
Gray picked up her third foul with 18:49 left and promptly took a seat on the bench with Duke up 30-28. Maryland temporarily forged into the lead, but two straight baskets by Williams put Duke back in front. Soon after Gray returned, a three-point play by teammate Tricia Liston and a follow-shot by Williams made it 45-38 with just under 13 minutes to go.
Thomas then made two free throws and added a 3-pointer to begin a 15-5 spurt that put the Terrapins ahead 53-50 with 5:21 remaining. After Duke cut it to 55-54, Mincy popped a 3-pointer from the right corner before three straight foul shots by Williams got the Blue Devils within a point around the two-minute mark.
Allison Vernerey then hit a jumper to put Duke up 59-58 with 1:48 left, but that would be the Blue Devils' final lead.
Maryland trailed 29-28 at halftime despite getting off to a tough start, committing 14 turnovers and getting one point from Thomas, who missed all six of her shots from the floor.
The Terrapins, one of the nation's top rebounding teams, out rebounded the Blue Devils, 45-36 and grabbed 23 offensive boards to Duke's 16. Hawkins had nine boards - all were offensive.
Next, the Terrapins will play host to North Carolina (19-8, 9-5) Friday, Feb. 24 at 8:30 p.m. The Terps will honor seniors Anjale Barrett, Lynetta Kizer and Kim Rodgers prior to tip-off.
Tickets are still available. Please visit the Terrapin Ticket Office online at umterps.com or call 1-800-IM-A-TERP.
The Terps-Tar Heels game will be shown on the RSN family of networks, which includes Comcast SportsNet, Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Florida and the New England Sports Network. Please check your local listings. It will be broadcast on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network and can be heard on WJZ 1300 AM and 930 WFMD.
Maryland is ranked No. 8 in both the latest Associated Press poll and No. 7 the latest ESPN/USA Today Division I Top 25 Coaches' poll.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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