The Maryland Terrapins came back to make this second round game in the ACC Tournament interesting early in the second half, but ultimately the Duke Blue Devils pulled away late to prevail. And so ends the NCAA Tournament hopes for Gary Williams and his promising young team.
This game had the feeling of many other Maryland games this season. They kept it close. The even narrowed Duke's lead to just one point towards the start of the second half. Things were looking up for the Terrapins when Nolan Smith left the game with a jammed toe and the team was only down 65-60, but they couldn't hang with the ACC regular season champions in the end.
Kyle Singler led all scorers with 29, passing Mike Gminski for eighth place on the ACC all-time scoring list. Duke had four other players scoring in double-figures as Mason Plumlee, Miles Plumlee, Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry all scored 10 or more. Jordan Williams collected 16 points and 16 rebounds in the losing effort for the Terrapins.
Missed free throws were a big problem for Maryland throughout the night. The Terrapins made just 15 of 28 attempts. That will get you to the NIT, but not much further.
Duke will move on to the ACC Tournament Semifinals, where the team will take on the winner of the Florida State vs. Virginia Tech game later tonight.