Brand sparks 2nd-half run
No. 2 Duke whips No. 4 Maryland with ease
Posted: Monday January 04, 1999 01:22 AM
| |
Suffocation: Steve Francis (center) and the Terps were outscored 45-27 in the second half AP |
COLLEGE PARK, Maryland (AP) -- Except for the timing, second-ranked Duke's recipe for success against Maryland on Sunday was virtually identical to the formula that worked so well one year ago.
Elton Brand had 19 points and 13 rebounds and sparked a second-half run that carried the Blue Devils to a surprisingly easy 82-64 victory over No. 4 Maryland.
Trajan Langdon scored 16 points for Duke (13-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), which opened the second half with a 15-2 blitz that all but finished the Terrapins (13-2, 1-1).
Exactly one year earlier, the Blue Devils shocked a sellout crowd at Cole Field House by making their first four 3-pointers and turning an early 14-point lead into a 32-point victory.
This time, Duke waited until the outset of the second half to pull away. After an exchange of baskets made it 39-39, Brand hit a layup and a short jumper to start a run of 13 straight points that included two free throws and a 3-pointer by William Avery.
Maryland, meanwhile, missed nine of its first 10 shots and committed eight turnovers in the opening eight minutes. It was 58-42 before Terence Morris made a layup -- the Terrapins' second basket of the half -- with 11:39 left.
By that time, Duke was well on its way to its 12th win in its last 14 games at Maryland. After the margin reached 20 points with 3:36 left, fans who paid up to $500 a ticket began heading toward the exits.
Shane Battier had 15 points for the Blue Devils despite picking up his fourth foul with 18:57 remaining. Avery also scored 15.
Morris scored 16 points and teammate Steve Francis had 11 but did not make a basket in the second half. The Terrapins, whose only previous loss this season came at Kentucky, fell to 7-1 at home.
Duke took control early, but the Terrapins drew even at halftime.
For Maryland fans, the opening few minutes conjured up dreaded memories of last season's blowout.
The Blue Devils made five of their first six shots in building an 11-4 lead. But a 3-pointer by Francis, a follow-jam by Morris and two foul shots by Francis brought Maryland even with five minutes gone.
The Terrapins then went scoreless for more than four minutes while Duke got four points apiece from Battier and Nate James in an 11-0 run. It was 24-14 before Juan Dixon banked a jumper in the lane to spark a 9-0 spree that brought Maryland back.
Down 32-27, the Terrapins reeled off seven straight points -- including a soaring reverse layup by Francis -- to take the lead for the first time.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| 
