MD Vs. Duke
Women's NCAA Championship
2006
Well our beloved Women's basketball team advanced to the final four, which happened to be in my new home town of Boston. I debated about getting tickets, $140 for one, figured I would buy two, but who would help me pay. Megan wasn't into it that much. It was women's basketball after all right? So my idea was to see if they beat UNC and advance to the national championship game. At that point I would scalp a ticket and go to my first women's game ever. Needless to say we shocked the world by taking down #1 UNC (second time on the season). So here we are about 6:00 and I was still sans ticket. I finally decided we were playing Duke, it was the national championship game, and it was 10 minutes from home, I should be there as fan of the school. (After all if it was intramural checkers and it was a MD kid against a super dork from Duke I would go!) I was also sans ATM card, and no scalper I have ever met took a personal check, or a box of rolled quarters, so it had to be something I could charge. I looked at eBay, seemed a little high. I checked stub hub, a price reduction on a single to $65, I was allover it, When using stub hub 65 quickly becomes $86. Anywho, I quickly throw on some Terps gear, run to the bus stop on Broadway, hop on the #9 Bus to Copley square, transfer to the green line to get off at Kenmore Square to hit the stub hub. Well I get lost where the roads fork and took Com Ave instead of Boylston (shocker). Keep in mind I am still starving, but I realize we are now at about 7:30, so I start running around, and finally found my way to stub hub. Get my ticket, and head back to the green line, this time going to the TD Bank North Garden, via North Station (Still no grub). I see lots of final four hats on the T, and lots of high school aged girls with team bball jackets and sweats on. I finally arrive, make the hike up from North Station (under the Gahden), all the way up the upper deck. I am thinking no meal, hurting, when I realize they take plastic at the vending stands $$$$$. I notice the individual pizza was 6 bucks, so I select that with a water ($3), and charge my 9 buck meal. So, to say the least I made it to my seats with about 32 minutes to go on the scoreboard and an individual freshcetta pizza. Kind of excited I guess. I was a little disappointed when I got to my perch in the upper deck, I figured I would at least get to see all the Celtics championship banners, the Bruins banners, but they actually hung a banner for all 24 of the past women's champions. Lets see lots of Tennessee, Uconn, Texas Tech, etc up there. No one that surprising.
While I am eating the Garden starts to fill in and I begin
to notice there are a lot of women all over the place. Now keep in my
mind, most of them are not interested in us if you know what I mean, and the
others are all the HS girls. The MD and Duke sections fill in before the
other areas of the stands. Out come the Dookies, nice ovation, out come
the Terps, huge ovation, and I was sitting above our fans, so the voices were
going away from me. I stand and clap, calmly, so not to draw attention to
myself as being a male, by myself, at a women's game. Here is the first
thing I thought to be strange about us. Once we came on the floor for warm ups we never left. That's right Duke is getting a pep talk, and we
continuously ran the 3 woman weave, shot jumpers, and did 3 on 2 breaks. I
kept thinking, well they have to go in sometime, 4 minutes elapsed, 3, 2, and I
am thinking the locker room has to be a little bit of a walk under the arena.
Needless to say I guess Brenda thought she had said all that needed to be said.
I would have been gassed after all the drills they were running out there.
The game starts, and I got a little more excited, letting out a medium level
"let's go Terps" (still not wanting to draw attention to myself). Well
things start ugly for the Terps, and the game for that matter. Maryland
took the lead at 2-1 with 18:00 to go, and I got a little more excited.
With 10 minutes left in the first half, we were down 11, and I am thinking to
myself, self what have I done. I could be home maxed out on the couch
watching this in HD for free, and they are going to get blown out, in which case
thanks to a remote control I could flip to baseball or something. Here I
am stuck for the duration. MD was playing poorly, Duke not that much
better, but they were getting a lot of points on the fast break, and we had NO
ANSWER for that monster Alison Bales. She could post up Ibekwe and back
him down the lane in my opinion. I think he would block anything she put
up, but there is no doubt in my mind she could get into a good position.
With about 4 minutes left we were down by 13, and my fun value had dropped to
zero, we were playing bad, and I didn't have a remote to control the jumbotron!
As fouls for both teams were starting to mount, we kind of traded baskets
leading up to half time. At one time out Brenda came all the way out to
center court to meet Marissa Coleman, and chewed her out. Things were not
looking good. Our bad plays led to easy buckets for Dook, and we had to
work really hard to score. We were taking a lot of jump shots, and bad
shots. They were still hustling, but it was like they were playing in mud
or something. We were able to cut the lead to 10 at the half, and I was
still not sure we had a chance. In hind sight being down may have been the
best thing that could have happened for the Lady Terps. It became apparent
everyone was rooting for us to make it a close game. To start the half,
Duke was turning to over, but we still weren't able to take advantage.
After the first TV timeout of the second half, we were down 12, but we were
playing differently, we could stop Duke, we just weren't converting. They
gave us chances, and all the fans around me were still pulling for MD.
With 15:01 we were again down 13, and it just didn't look like it was our time.
a 5 point run by the Terps cut it to 8, and forced Dook to call a TO. I
think this is the first time I stand to applaud since they ran onto the court
for warm-ups. I am also yelling, not worrying what anyone thinks.
After all it is my Alma Mater, and no matter what "I'm from Maryland and no one
can beat me!" The entire arena is starting to get involved in the game and
everyone is really hoping we can make the last few minutes matter. Still
down 8 with about 10 minutes left. Lindsey Harding for Duke was in foul
trouble, and I was still not sure what to think of our chances. Duke was
trying to let us back in, but we just were taking advantage. In the next
27 seconds Tolliver hit a 3 and Coleman hit a short jumper. Two freshman
hitting huge shots to cut the lead to 3. TO Dook, and again the place was
rocking. I was standing like it was a cold winter night back in winter of
99', and it was likes of Francis, Dixon, Profit and company on the floor.
At this point gender didn't matter. This was Maryland against Duke, for
all the marbles. I was going nuts. As the time out ended, and play
was about to start I let lose a big "D up Terps".
By
the next TV TO, we were down one, and the place was really into the game.
We were in it, and Aunt Mo was on our side! Shay made two FT's to tie the
game for the first time since it was 0-0. At the last TV TO we were tied.
MD was not making all their FT's and I was thinking that was our window. I
was nervous at this point, holding my breath with every possession. With a
minute to go we were down 4 with the ball. Ashleigh Newman made one of two
at the stripe, to cut the lead to 3. We got a stop, but Duke got the
rebound, and we were forced to foul Abby Waner, one and one, and she missed!!!
Toliver gets the ball and hits a tough jumper, down one. We foul again,
this time Duke converts both. Down three with 17 seconds left. We
get the ball across half court and call a TO with 13 seconds left. I am a
nervous Nellie now. Out of the time out I was standing, and I didn't care
if people behind me couldn't see. This was crunch time! Md gets the
ball to Tolliver, went around two screens, set her feet and launched a
three over the monster Bales. It was good, and I jumped almost through the
roof! Incredible shot, incredible game, I was having a blast.
Pandemonium inside the Gahden! Duke pushed it up court, and missed a shot
at the buzzer, we were going to OT.
Now I knew we had been involved in some OT, games but I had no idea we were 5-0
on the season. Had I known that I would have certainly thought it was
going to be a loss. OT starts and we had an air of confidence. However,
that did not translate into points. It took nearly half of the OT period
for Duke to get the first basket and a two point lead. Shay Doron hit two
FT's and we were tied. Monique Currie but Duke back up, and Shay tied it
on a layup. Place was still going nuts, as was I. Duke went to
Bales, and she was fouled by Marissa Coleman, Bales hit one, Duke by one,
with 48 seconds left. Kristi Tolliver got to the line and calmly knocked
down two FT's to put us ahead with 35 seconds. Duke missed on their next
possession, and Coleman grabbed the board, got fouled and went to the line.
(I believe there is video of these). She would step up and make both!
Up 3 with 14 seconds left. Duke got a shot for the tie, but it was
no good, rebound and let the celebration begin.
We
had done it, come all the way back and stunned the Dukies. Starting two
freshman, two Sophomores, and a Junior, the future looks bright! The MD
celebration was exciting. The players ran over to the MD section, and
jumped up on the press table to put on their National Champions shirts and hats.
They were all hugging their parents, and could see that they were a true team by
their celebration. I would stick around to take in the trophy ceremony.
As they announced the all tournament team, Kristi Tolliver was named, and as
they were about to announce the MOP, all the players started to mob Crystal
Langhorne, but much to the shock of all the players, it was Laura Harper to who
scored the honor. We had done it, and I was there! I have seen some
great men's games (95 VS #1 UNC, 97 VS #1 UNC, many tournament games, as well as
the national championship), and I tried to figure where this game fell in.
I have to admit it is up among the top. It had everything you could ask
for, a big comeback, a huge 3 to force OT, OT itself, and most importantly a
win! As I left the game as the players were cutting down the nets, anyone
in MD gear looked and smiled, and without saying a word I knew what they were
thinking. We had won it all, but it was even more sweet that we beat
Duke! After I transferred from the Green line to the red line
a guy across the tracks saw me and yelled "yeah Terps" while he was waving his
red pompom! A terrific cap for a terrific game.
Now I have never been much of a fan of the women's team other than to hope they would win. However, this team leaves it all on the floor, plays hard, plays as a team, and with a passion. They also play without fear. If you ever are bored on a Saturday afternoon and the Lady Terps are playing, I suggest you pay the 5 bucks to go watch them. They earned the right to have some fans, and you will still have a good time. The speed of the game may not be the same, but the passion is there, and it is worth checking out once!