Waiting to Exhale

From the moment Diandra T launched Maryland's only successful 3-pointer of the game (with 17 seconds left in regulation) to tie the score at 69, until the moment that Virginia's Ariana Moorer launched her 3-point attempt (with 2 seconds left in overtime and Maryland leading by 2), the BCs may have taken maybe a half-dozen breaths. When Moorer's shot bounced in and then spun out, we were finally able to breathe normally again (after screaming, hugs, and high-fives of course). Maryland beats Virginia . . . in overtime, 77-75!!!

Wow, what a crazy roller-coaster of a game! Terps ahead at halftime, 34-27. Terps up by 10 in the second half (twice); Terps down by 6 with just minutes remaining. Diandra cuts the Cavs' lead to 3 with 1:36 left in regulation. And then, more heroics from Diandra. With the shot clock winding down, Frenchie lets fly with a bomb from beyond the arc . . . swish . . . Overtime!

Throughout the game, the Terps' attempts to take control were seriously hampered by foul trouble. Tianna fouled out in regulation around the 2-minute mark. And Maryland's go-to players, Alyssa and 'Netta, played most of the second half, and all of the OT, with 4 fouls. During the OT, Coach B moved players in and out on offensive and defensive possessions, trying to keep her two stars in the game. Thank goodness for Maryland's deep bench!

And then (following a couple of big early baskets by Alyssa in OT), with the game tied at 75 and 6 seconds left in the extra period, still more heroics from Diandra, who sliced to the basket for a layup, putting the Terps ahead . . . for good. Just another one of your average, hold-your-breath, edge-of-your-seat kind of games . . . that's Maryland basketball. LOL.

Out of a total of 45 minutes, Alyssa and 'Netta were only on the floor for 30 minutes and 26 minutes, respectively. The foul calls against them came early and often. But did they ever make the most of their limited minutes! Alyssa led all scorers with 18 points, and notched yet another double-double, pulling down 12 rebounds, while 'Netta added 16 points. Off the bench, Kim Rodgers put up 11 points, and was a huge spark for Maryland during the first half. Diandra finished with 9 points, and 6 blocks.

With tonight's nailbiter of a win, the Terps improve to 2-2 in the ACC standings. And they'll have the chance on Sunday to turn that into a winning record when they take on #10/11 ranked UNC at Comcast at 5:00 PM. If these early games are any indication of how exciting this ACC season is going to be, you'd have to be crazy to miss this next one against the Tarheels!

Inhale . . . exhale. Whew, what a night!

Go Terps . . . Beat the 'Heels!