March 7, 2004

Box Score | Photo Gallery | 2004 ACC Women's Tournament Page

By AARON BEARD
Associated Press Writer

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Duke moved one win closer to making Atlantic Coast Conference tournament history Sunday.

Alana Beard scored 21 points to help the second-ranked Blue Devils rally for a 70-63 win against Maryland in the semifinals, keeping them on track to become the first team to win five straight tournament titles.

Monique Currie added 16 points and a key late basket for the top-seeded Blue Devils (26-3), who trailed by eight in the second half before rallying and advancing to Monday's championship game. Duke will face either North Carolina or North Carolina State in the title game.

Beard, named ACC player of the year for a record third time Sunday, had just nine points in the quarterfinal win against Wake Forest. But she went 6-for-12 and pulled down seven rebounds against the Terrapins.

Duke improved to 16-0 all-time in the Greensboro Coliseum and has now won 60 of 61 games against league opponents dating back to 2001.

The fourth-seeded Terrapins (17-12) certainly made it difficult, mixing defenses to keep the high-scoring Blue Devils off-balance. Maryland held Duke 13 points below its season average, avoiding the turnovers that feed the Blue Devils' transition game, and taking an edge on the boards.

Duke finally took control by scoring on nine straight possessions late in the game.

"The old adage is survive and advance, and that is exactly what we did - survived," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. "I'm proud of the way the team came together down the stretch."

Shay Doron scored 19 points to lead the Terrapins, while Delvona Oliver added 15 points and eight rebounds.

Maryland, which was making its first ACC semifinal appearance in six years, committed just 13 turnovers and took a 38-37 rebounding advantage. Duke managed just 14 points off those turnovers, and had no fast-break points.

"We never backed down," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "We played with the poise and confidence of a champion for 40 minutes."

Oliver made three free throws and Maryland used a 12-1 run early in the second half to take a 41-33 lead. The Terrapins also led 48-41 on a jumper in the lane from Doron with 11:07 remaining.

But the Blue Devils' tournament experience soon came through. Trailing by three, Duke scored on nine straight possessions - many on drives to the basket - to take the lead.

Beard got things started with a putback off a miss by Iciss Tillis, and then followed with a drive on Doron to cut the deficit to 51-49. On the next play, Vicki Krapohl faked a pass to Beard then hit down a 3-pointer for a 52-51 lead.

The Blue Devils went ahead to stay when Beard found Mistie Bass inside on a pick-and-roll for a 54-53 lead at the 5:40 mark.

Duke also went 6-for-6 from the line during its run.

"We ran a couple of plays that call for a screen, and in the first half we were just settling for the outside shot," Beard said. "In the second half, we started to attack the basket and get some easy scores."

In the final six minutes, the Terrapins missed two key free throws after a 12-for-12 start, and couldn't get the stops they desperately needed. The final breakdown came with less than a minute left, as Currie faked Crystal Washington and drove in for a layup from the right wing for a 68-63 lead with 41 seconds left.

"They've been there. They understand what it takes," Frese said. "There for a while when they made that run, we started trading baskets. They're too good of a team to continue trading baskets with."