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NO. 1 DUKE 66, NO. 9 MARYLAND 64

Why Duke won

Jasmine Thomas scored a game-high 21 points, shooting 5-for-7 from 3-point range, but the Blue Devils really won this game by showing more poise than Maryland after the Terrapins took a 63-62 lead with 2:29 left. Duke regained the lead when Bridgette Mitchell made two free throws, then Joy Cheek made a big basket inside. Even when the Devils' final shot wouldn't fall, they didn't leave Maryland enough time to win.

Why Maryland lost

The Terps couldn't solve Duke's defense when they needed to most. Trailing 66-63 with 1:15 left, Maryland nearly got whistled for a five-second violation trying to inbound the ball and was forced to call its last timeout. When the Terps finally did get it in, star center Lynetta Kizer couldn't score through a triple-team. It was a typical possession: Maryland had no field goals in the final seven minutes.

Play of the game

With Duke clinging to a 66-64 lead in the final 37 seconds, Maryland elected not to foul. Duke ran the shot clock down, and Joy Cheek missed a short jumper with seven seconds left. Maryland guard Jackie Nared grabbed the long rebound, took three or four dribbles and launched an errant 30-footer with about three seconds left.

The key player

Krystal Thomas. Duke's 6-foot-4 junior center scored just five points off the bench — going 5-for-6 from the foul line — but she had four blocks and played a pivotal role defending Maryland star Lynetta Kizer, who was 4-for-10 from the field.

What they're saying

"Krystal came up huge for our team. Her focus was moving her feet, and she had great body positioning (on defense). She showed great intelligence where she did not foul." — Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie on Krystal Thomas' defense against Lynetta Kizer

"I think she lost track of the time in terms of having a couple more dribbles to be able to go to the rim. But I liked our chances on the run and in the flow. I didn't want to let (Duke's) defense get set up." — Maryland coach Brenda Frese on Jackie Nared's 30-foot shot three seconds before the final buzzer

Noting the game

Maryland led by as many as 11 points midway through the first half, but Duke closed on an 11-1 run to take a 37-32 halftime lead. ... Maryland missed its last five field-goal attempts in the first half and its last six in the second half. ... Duke won despite being outrebounded, committing more fouls, getting outshot at the foul line and turning over the ball 20 times.

MARYLAND (19-12) — Tchatchouang 2-7 0-0 4, Kizer 4-10 8-8 16, Taylor 0-3 1-2 1, Rodgers 0-3 0-0 0, Bjork 4-6 2-2 14, Nared 3-9 2-2 10, Barrett 5-7 4-5 15, Oyefuwa 1-2 0-0 2, Hawkins 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 20-53 17-19 64.

DUKE (25-5)— Mitchell 2-4 3-4 7, Cheek 6-11 2-2 14, Vernerey 1-4 1-2 3, J.Thomas 8-18 0-2 21, Christmas 5-7 1-3 11, Selby 0-1 0-0 0, Jackson 2-4 0-0 5, K.Thomas 0-2 5-6 5. Totals 24-51 12-19 66.

Halftime—Duke 37-32. 3-point goals—Maryland 7-16 (Bjork 4-6, Nared 2-5, Barrett 1-1, Rodgers 0-1, Kizer 0-1, Tchatchouang 0-2), Duke 6-9 (J.Thomas 5-7, Jackson 1-1, Christmas 0-1). Fouled out—Barrett. Rebounds—Maryland 29 (Hawkins 7), Duke 28 (Cheek 5). Assists—Maryland 8 (Taylor 4), Duke 11 (Cheek 4). Total fouls—Maryland 17, Duke 20. Technical--Maryland bench. A—5,040.