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Final clash: Duke-Arizona

GAME 2: Duke 95, Maryland 84 The Blue Devils stun the Terps with a 33-point turnaround.

By BRIAN LANDMAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 1, 2001

[AP photo] Duke's Matt Christensen, from left, Casey Sanders and Mike Dunleavy celebrate on the sideline late in the game.

MINNEAPOLIS -- In each of the three previous meetings between Atlantic Coast Conference rivals Duke and Maryland this season, the winner had to erase a double-digit deficit.

So, Duke senior forward Shane Battier, the consensus national player of the year, predicted the fourth installment Saturday would be like the others: a test of resilience.

It was.

Down by as many as 22 points in the first half, the top-ranked Blue Devils rallied to stun Final Four neophyte Maryland 95-84, earning a shot at Arizona in Monday's championship game. The Blue Devils (34-4) won the title in 1991 and 1992 and reached the last game in 1994 and 1999.

"It's really ironic that in the four games, each team that won has been down by double digits; that was in the back of my mind," Battier said. "I was hoping to continue that trend."

This one looked as if it would be different.

The Terrapins (25-11) entered red hot, winning 10 of their past 11. That included a convincing 91-80 win at Duke, making up for a last-minute collapse at home when they led by 10 with 54 seconds left only to see Duke rally, force overtime and pull out a 98-96 win. The streak also included a dramatic 84-82 loss to the Blue Devils in the ACC tournament semifinals.

This time, they took a shocking 39-17 lead on a three-pointer from sophomore point guard Steve Blake, a Miami Lakes native, with 6:55 left in the opening half.

"I was disappointed with our team," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I thought we played young during those first 12 minutes and Maryland, first of all they're really good, but they have a comfort level from playing against us. We should have one against them."

The Blue Devils are at their best when they push the pace after a missed shot or defensive rebound. Instead, All-America point guard Jason Williams admitted that he was walking the ball upcourt too often, and the team's set plays weren't working well against the talented Terrapins.

"I just told them, "Look. Play the way you play. You're losing by so much, you can't play any worse. What are you worried about? We're going to lose by 40. Would you just play.' " Krzyzewski said.

Duke rallied behind its reserves, senior forward Nate James and sophomore center Carlos Boozer.

James, the hero of the ACC tournament win against Maryland with a last-second tip-in, scored five. Boozer, rounding into form after returning last week from a broken bone in his right foot, added four to help pull the Blue Devils to within 49-38 at the half.

"We just wanted to claw our way back into the game," Battier said. "When we went into halftime down 11, we knew we had clawed our way back into the game and were in position to win."

Although no team had overcome an 11-point halftime deficit in a semifinal game, the past had told the Blue Devils it was possible.

Duke chipped away and took its first lead at 73-72 on Williams' first and only three-pointer with 6:51 left. From there, it was a test of wills. It was a test of resiliency.

The teams traded the lead four times before the Blue Devils finally took control. Boozer hit two free throws and James, as he did in Atlanta in the ACC tournament, tapped in a miss for an 80-77 lead.

After Maryland sophomore guard Drew Nichols, in for Blake who collided in midair with Chris Duhon (Duhon had a mild concussion but returned and is expected to play Monday), made two free throws, Battier answered with two free throws. Boozer, who had 19 points, scored on a driving layup for an 84-79 lead. The Terps got no closer.

"Today really hurts," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "Give Duke all the credit to battle back like that. They have a couple of great players, they're really tough in tough situations. But at the same time, I think our team proved some things to our university, to our state, where we can be as a basketball program."

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