March 6, 2005

Box Score

By DAVID DROSCHAK
TheACC.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Duke has tried to block out its five-year run as Atlantic Coast Conference champions and just concentrate on the present.

Seems to be working so far.

The Blue Devils blew out their second straight opponent Sunday in the tourney semifinals to set up a rematch with top-seeded North Carolina, rolling over Maryland 74-44.

This one was in the books by the break as the sixth-seeded Terrapins managed just three baskets in the opening 20 minutes to fall behind 33-11.

"I felt like everything that could have gone wrong went wrong today," said Maryland guard Anesia Smith.

"I didn't think it could get much worse than when we played Duke at home offensively, but it did," added Maryland coach Brenda Frese. "That's a credit to their defense and their size. They are a hard team to prepare for when they have 6-5 and 6-7 in the middle."

For Duke, it was another masterful performance, running its consecutive winning streak in tournament games to a record 17 straight.

But maybe more importantly for the Blue Devils (28-3) the victory means another shot at the Tar Heels, a team that beat them twice during the regular season.

"We're looking for another opportunity to redeem ourselves," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said.

"Coach has told us we're not defending our championship, we're pursuing another one. That has just stuck in my mind throughout the tournament and we're looking to pursue another one tomorrow," Duke star Monique Currie added.

Duke placed five players in double figures one game after having seven reach that mark in a 107-50 drubbing of Wake Forest in the quarterfinals.

Goestenkors believes that's good news for Duke heading into the tournament finals Monday night, and then as a possible top seed in NCAA postseason play.

"It's very important for us," Goestenkors said. "It shows that we don't just rely on Monique. For awhile we were beginning to rely on her a bit and we've made a conscious effort to move the ball around and other people are stepping forward."

Much of Duke's early success came from shutting down Maryland freshman star Crystal Langhorne, who averaged 23.5 points and 16 rebounds in her two previous tourney games. On this night, Langhorne managed just 11 points and five rebounds as the Terrapins were outscored 34-14 in the paint.

Frese said it's obvious what separates her team from Duke.

"We need some size. It wouldn't hurt us if we had a 6-7 post player inside," Frese said. "We are very small inside and it just puts a lot of heat on Crystal with the double- and triple-teams she faces."

"Our inside players give great confidence to our guards because they know if they get beat they're going to get help," added Goestenkors. "It's a factor when someone goes in and gets their shot swatted. It affects them not on just that play but on the following play as well. It makes players try to adjust their shots. That just feeds into our defense."

Chante Black came off the Duke bench to lead the way with 14 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in 23 minutes. The Tar Heels beat the Blue Devils 77-68 six days ago in Durham, and 56-51 on Jan. 24 in Chapel Hill.

Meanwhile, Duke has beaten arch-rival UNC 87-80, 77-59 and 67-47 in the last three ACC title games.