come on lemme hear ya say 'way-oh!'

WAY-OH-OHHH!!!

daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn that was a good game. the lady Terps got the job done by slamming the Blue Devil's own arrogance down Duke's throat. i'll admit that the Terps had me in pain during the first half, when Duke was able to build a ridiculous lead of 13 points, and they have to be careful because games like that can really get away from anybody. but, at the same time, this is basketball, where anything is possible, and that's exactly how Maryland rolled out in the second half. as was expected, this was a very physical game where push literally came to shove, especially when williams (D) basically body-slammed shay doron onto the court. that should have been grounds for ejection, i think. but doron was the iron woman for the Terps, as she withstood a number of catastrophic trips to the floor, falls that would have broken most other players.

as Maryland closed in on Duke in the second half, the Blue Devils started to panic; anybody could see the mounting anxiety on their faces as they were realizing that this game was in fact not in the bag. that was their downfall. while currie, bales and harding played their hearts out and kept the game close, they also started to commit desperate fouls that gave the Terps the perfect opportunities to gain some ground on their opponents. i have to give a lot of credit to bales, a 6'7" presence that can overpower almost anyone right at the basket. she played with confidence, and while she wasn't as emotionally explosive as currie and williams, her game was loud enough to keep the Dukies in it.

as far as the individual Terps go, i have to say that i really like toliver. as a freshman, she certainly had something to prove to every kind of audience, which for any athlete is wicked pressure. although her first halves were as nerve-racking as her ball-handling mistakes, she 99% of the time regained her poise and made numerous clutch plays, the most mind-blowing being, of course, her three-pointer to push the title game into OT.

my favorite player though is shay doron. that girl throws her whole body into it and plays through pain, to the point where her opponents are rattled by her resilience. she kept getting to her feet and hustling back down the court, to smack the ball away and again get thrown on the ground. and she got up AGAIN. normally, during regular and post season, you don't want your player to possibly wreck herself to the point of major injury, and you would tell her to cool off and sit on the bench for awhile. but both coach frese and doron knew that the players could rest today and have months before needing their bodies for games again. ultimately, doron put forth an entire team's worth of effort, and for that, she is my pick for an MVP.

Terps fans have a lot to look forward to with this squad, and they're only adding to the increasing prestige of Maryland athletics. with men's soccer and women's field hockey championships already won and men's and women's lacrosse looking to go all the way, this former student-athlete is thrilled to wonder how far the Terps can go.