No. 22 Maryland beats 4th-ranked Duke 79-72

[March 04, 2010]  COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Greivis Vasquez saved his best for last.

Vasquez scored 20 points, including a clutch basket with 37 seconds left, and No. 22 Maryland beat fourth-ranked Duke 79-72 Wednesday night to move into a tie with the Blue Devils atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.

It was the final home game for Vasquez, who was honored with seniors Landon Milbourne and Eric Hayes before the game.

Afterward, all three were mobbed with their teammates as fans rushed the court to celebrate Maryland's first win over Duke in seven tries.

Jordan Williams had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Terrapins (22-7, 12-3), who have won six straight since losing by 21 at Duke on Feb. 13.

Nolan Smith scored 20 for Duke (25-5, 12-3) and Jon Scheyer had 19. The defeat ended the Blue Devils' eight-game winning streak.

Both teams have one game left in the regular season. Maryland travels to Virginia on Saturday, and Duke hosts North Carolina.

Duke center Brian Zoubek, who had 16 points and 17 rebounds in Duke's earlier win over Maryland, finished with four points and 13 boards.

The final minutes featured several outstanding shots, each one more important than the last.

Scheyer hit a 3-pointer to put Duke up 63-60 with 5:25 to go, and Vasquez tied it with a jumper from beyond the arc. Scheyer then scored on a drive, but Maryland answered with a hook shot in the lane from Adrian Bowie and a fadeaway jumper by Vasquez.

It was 69-all before Williams scored on a follow. Then, after Duke missed twice, Vasquez tucked the ball to his chest and bulled his way to the basket before launching a shot that dropped through the net, making it 73-69.

Sean Mosley added two free throws with 26.2 seconds left.

Maryland finished unbeaten at home in the ACC and 15-1 overall.

After an emotional ceremony for the seniors, the Terrapins thrilled the sellout crowd by getting off to a sizzling start.

Maryland led 7-0, 19-7 and 33-19 before Duke settled down. The Blue Devils took their first lead when Scheyer opened the second half with a 3 to make it 41-40.

Duke led 47-44 before Williams made a three-point play, Bowie scored on a drive and Milbourne added a dunk. After a layup by Scheyer, Bowie connected from long range to put the Terps up 54-49.

But Smith hit a tough baseline jumper and then converted a three-point play to tie it with 9:11 left, and after a series of misses by both teams, Smith's driving layup put Duke back in front.

The lead went back and forth until Maryland's closing 10-3 burst.

The Blue Devils ended the first half with a 19-7 run to get within 40-38.

Duke missed its first six shots and fell behind 7-0 before a tip-in by Zoubek ended the drought. Milbourne followed with a 3-pointer, but he picked up his second foul on Maryland's next possession and was forced to take a seat on the bench.

The Blue Devils were 1 for 8 and trailed 10-2 when officials noticed a snag in the net and replaced it. Kyle Singler promptly drilled a 3 before a reverse layup by Hayes and a three-point play by Williams -- off a no-look pass from Vasquez -- sparked an 11-3 run that made it 21-8.

At that point, Scheyer, Singler and Smith were a collective 1 for 9.

The trio accounted for Duke's next four baskets, and a layup by Zoubek got the Blue Devils to 25-19. Mosley then hit a jumper for Maryland, and successive 3-pointers by Hayes and Mosley boosted the margin to 14.

It was 40-29 before Duke ended the half with a three-point play by Singler and 3-pointers by Smith and Scheyer.

[Associated Press; By DAVID GINSBURG]

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