A late 15-3 run forces OT, and Maryland goes on to upset Duke 95-87.
By BRIAN LANDMAN
Published March 15, 2004
GREENSBORO, N.C. - As they huddled on the sideline with the ACC tournament championship seemingly in Duke's hands, the Maryland Terrapins didn't think about what might have been.
They'd been in tough spots before, albeit not 12 down with 4:58 left against the No. 5 Blue Devils, so they simply and defiantly considered what could be.
"We said, "We came this far, so let's play ball,' " sophomore guard John Gilchrist said.
They did just that, closing with a 15-3 run, including a critical three-point play by Gilchrist, to force overtime, then pulling away for a 95-87 win against the five-time defending champions Sunday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Maryland cut down the nets at the ACC tournament for the first time since the ill-fated Len Bias-led team in 1984.
Gilchrist, who finished with 26 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals to wrap up the tournament MVP award, wasn't born until three months later.
"I'm on cloud nine," he said.
"It means a lot to me," Maryland alumnus and coach Gary Williams said. "As you go along in your coaching career, I think you gain satisfaction from your team doing what they do. We had to stay tough this year. It was amazing that after 10 straight NCAAs, we had some criticism with a team that had 10 freshmen and sophomores. We really had to stay together. We spent time every day talking about how we were getting better. It didn't always show because of the teams we were playing in this league."
It did here. The Terrapins (19-11) beat No. 3-seeded Wake Forest, No. 2-seeded North Carolina State and then the top-seeded Blue Devils in the first overtime finale since 1995.
"We were proud to be champions for the last five years and we would have been proud to be the sixth, but we are also proud to shake the hands of the new champions and move on," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
His Blue Devils (27-5) showed resiliency, too.
Not only did star forward Shelden Williams get into foul trouble, but midway through the first half senior point guard Chris Duhon, the undisputed emotional leader, dived for a loose ball and slide into an ESPN camera. He lay prone for several moments before rolling on his back in obvious pain. As his teammates glanced from their huddle, Krzyzewski held his hand.
Duhon eventually got up, holding his right side and grimacing. While he was X-rayed in the locker room (they were negative for broken ribs), the Terps opened a 27-16 lead. Duhon returned four minutes later and, braving bruised ribs, helped Duke cut the deficit to 38-36 at the half.
"I was in pain, but I was just focusing on trying to win," he said.
Duke seemingly took command at 74-62 as Duhon capped a 12-2 run with a driving layup.
"I know a lot of people counted us out around that time, but we were down 19 (to N.C. State) and we cut that lead short very fast (Saturday) night," senior center Jamar Smith said. "I'm very confident in my team. I knew what we could do."
While the Blue Devils uncharacteristically struggled to hang on to the ball and make shots, the Terps chipped away and tied it at 77 when Gilchrist drove by Williams for a layup, drew Williams' fifth and final foul and hit the free throw with 20.3 seconds left.
With the score 82-82 in overtime, the Terrapins made 13 of 16 free throws. That included 4-for-4 by reserve freshman guard Mike Jones, who also hit a critical 3-pointer off a Gilchrist assist in the final minutes of regulation. The Blue Devils, who entered shooting 74 percent from the line, hit 16-of-31.
"I never doubted this team from Day 1," Gilchrist said. "You're going to go through ups and downs, so you're going to have bring it every single night. "For the team,' that's our motto."
