Gone in 61 seconds

The Terps used the entirety of their energetic first half to storm out to a commanding nine-point lead last night. The No. 4 Blue Devils were reeling, Comcast Center was electric, and the Terps looked poised to snatch another huge win over a top-four team.

But what they built in 20 minutes crumbled in one.

With fans back in their seats and the volume cranked up, the Terps opened the second half with the ball at half court. Bambale Osby lost control and Lance Thomas hit a short jumper on Duke's ensuing possession.

Four seconds later, Duke regained control off a James Gist turnover on the inbound pass, and Terp-killer DeMarcus Nelson laid in another easy basket. Kyle Singler stripped Osby of the ball shortly after, and a Nelson offensive rebound and put-back layup capped the Blue Devil outburst.

It took 61 seconds for the Terps nine-point lead to disintegrate into a meager three-point edge.

"It kind of took the wind out of us when they just came out and cut it right to three," said sophomore guard Eric Hayes, who set a career high with nine assists. "We had a hard time getting that momentum back and it just stayed that way through the second half."

The initial minute of the second half morphed an atmosphere from frenzied and raucous to one muddled by a foreboding feeling of dread. Chants became grumbles, and screams became groans.

"They were struggling in the first half and it gives them confidence that they can play," head coach Gary Williams said. "They're a good team and that's all they need. If you let up a little bit, that's all it takes."

The pressure Duke mounted in that opening minute continued to build until the momentum had completely switched sides. After the game, several Terps said that even with 19 minutes remaining and a three-point lead still in tact, the feeling that the game was already slipping out of their hands began to creep into their heads.

The foreshadowing of the second half's first minute turned out to be right on target. In the second half, the talented Blue Devils outscored the Terps 51-33, out-rebounded them 22-17 and forced nine turnovers.

"In that first 30 seconds they were just up and flying and that really got them going," said Osby, who recorded career highs with 20 points and 15 rebounds in the loss. "When they made their run, we didn't do a good job of handling the run. We were still up, but we were still the team that was rushing and we panicked a little bit. You just can't do that."

The Terps were eventually able to slow the pace, but couldn't keep up with Duke's energy on defense and in the paint. The teams exchanged blows until Gerald Henderson's three-point play put the Blue Devils ahead by three with 8:34 left in the game. Duke outscored the Terps 21-15 over the final eight and a half minutes, and when the final buzzer sounded, the Terps' first-half momentum seemed to be nothing more than a distant memory.

"That was real tough," forward Cliff Tucker said. "We came out of the locker room excited but I don't know what happened. We have to settle down more and just take our time. I think we got out of control and people got anxious because it's Duke."

Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski said the final 20 minutes of the game made up his team's "most impressive half of the season." And in addition to the positives that players and reporters tossed around after the game, the Terps surely learned how quickly an advantage can evaporate, especially in conference play.

It took Coach K and his squad just 61 seconds to teach them.

gbassdbk@gmail.com