DURHAM, N.C.—For nearly 39 minutes, the Terrapins women’s basketball gave Duke all it could handle.

Though the Blue Devils held the lead for much of the second half, the Terps wouldn’t go away. Led by Alyssa Thomas’s 12 points after the break, the Terps overcame a 12-point deficit and cut Duke’s lead to four with just more than a minute remaining.

But from there, it was all Blue Devils.

No. 5 Duke closed the game on a 6-2 run, holding on to clinch their 26th consecutive ACC victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium, 80-72 against the No. 8 Terps.

After falling behind the Terps early, Duke went on to build a sizable first-half lead, staying on top by as much as eight points as the game moved closer to the break.

But a 6-0 run to close the opening period allowed the Terps to cut the Blue Devils’ lead to just one at the break, 44-43.

While it was forward Tianna Hawkins’ 15 points that led the way for the Terps in the first half, the second was the Alyssa Thomas show. Thomas scored 12 of her 26 points—tying her career-high—after the break, taking a 12-point Duke lead and cutting it to just four with 1:21 remaining.

Duke’s defense held in the end however, holding the Terps to just two points over the final 81 seconds to clinch a 8-point victory.

The Terps (18-2, 5-2 ACC) will continue conference play when they host Virginia Tech in Comcast Center on Thursday. They will play the Blue Devils (16-2, 6-0) again in College Park on Feb. 19.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s Terrapins women’s basketball beat reporter. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com.

DURHAM, N.C.—It’s been nearly three years since Duke was beaten by an ACC opponent at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The last team to do it? The Terrapins women’s basketball team.

On Feb. 17, 2008—coincidentally, the same day coach Brenda Frese gave birth to her twin sons, Markus and Tyler—the Terps took home a seven-point victory against the Blue Devils.

The No. 5 Blue Devils have won 25 straight conference at home since that game, a streak the No. 8 Terps hope to put an end to today.

Duke (15-2, 6-0 ACC) is the only ACC team still undefeated in conference play. The Terps own the all-time series with the Blue Devils, 38-37, and the teams split their two meetings last season.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s Terrapins women’s basketball beat reporter. Follow him on Twitter @JoshVitale for live updates during the game.

When the referees called the game’s final media timeout with just more than two minutes remaining, Brenda Frese began the joyous task of removing her starters from the court. A stellar second half had given the Terrapins women’s basketball team a 25-point lead at that point, putting the game well out of reach for visiting Wake Forest.

But while the longtime coach emptying her bench, she she also put starting forward Tianna Hawkins back onto the floor with a chance to make program history.

Former Terps Angie Scott and Debbie Jones held the single-game program record with 23 rebounds. But with just 33 seconds remaining in tonight’s game against the Demon Deacons, Hawkins brought down her record-setting 24th board of the night, reaking a record that had stood for 34 years.

Hawkins finished the game with  18 points and 24 rebounds, leading the No. 8 Terps to an 86-58 rout of Wake Forest.

“I asked the team if we should let her come back in and they unanimously said yes,” Frese said. “That record has been in the record book for a very long time. It is special for us to be able to break records.”

Hampered by foul trouble for much of the second half, Hawkins almost never got the chance to record the all-time mark.  Hawkins was removed from the game after committing her fourth foul with more than 10 minutes remaining in the game, not seeing the floor again until the seven-minute mark.

With the Terps holding an 18-point lead, Hawkins was subbed out again at the four-minute mark with the game all but over. But, perhaps with a recognition for history, Frese inserted Hawkins back into the lineup with just enough time to set the program-record.

As the clock ticked below 35 seconds, guard Brene Moseley hoisted a 3-point attempt from the top of the key, with Hawkins waiting eagerly underneath the basket.. The ball clanged harmlessly off the rim, and as she had all night, Hawkins corralled the miss for the 24th time, placing herself in the record books.

“I’m just happy that I was able to do something in the game to help the team out. It means a lot to me to go into the record books at the same time,” Hawkins said. “My teammates were pushing me to get that last rebound and the crowd was also pushing me to get it, so it felt good to have everyone commend me on that.”

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Just four days removed from its first defeat of the season—a 12-point road loss to Miami Thursday night—the Terrapins women’s basketball team’s return to the court tonight was anything but pretty.

Clearly still feeling the effects of the only blemish on a once-perfect season,  The Terps produced their second-lowest scoring output of the season, shot a near seasons-worst 43 percent from the field and committed 17 turnovers.

But while it was far from their best performance of the season, it proved good enough. The No. 8  Terps avoided another letdown tonight in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day showdown in Comcast Center, sneaking by ACC-rival Virginia, 68-61.

“Anytime you lose you don’t want to feel that again anytime soon. We wanted to get back out and play, especially a game against UVA that is a rivalry,” coach Brenda Frese said. “They were very, very aggressive and I thought it took us awhile to get into the rhythm of the game. But in the second half I think that we were able to wear them down.”

The Terps (17-1, 4-1 ACC) got off to a slow start in the contest, falling behind the Cavaliers (14-5, 2-3) by as much as eight points early in the first half. It wasn’t until the seven-minute mark than the Terps began to turn it around.

Sparked by a 3-pointer from guard Laurin Mincy, the Terps closed the first half on an 18-4 run, taking a 36-32 lead into the break.

“I figured I needed to step up since [Alyssa] wasn’t scoring like she usually does. We all did a good job of stepping up,” Mincy said. “Coach told us to keep pushing in transition and that they would slow down eventually.”

Turnovers and poor shooting from the Terps in the second half kept the game close, but in the end, Virginia didn’t have enough firepower to secure an upset. Even as they compiled 12 steals and held the Terps ti just 37 percent shooting from the field, the Cavaliers still couldn’t close the gap in a seven-point Terps’ victory.

“Those were two things we specifically talked about after the game – turnovers and defense,” Frese said. “We needed to defend and get stops and obviously be able to get some looks on the offensive end.”

Mincy led all scorers with 20 points, including two three-pointers. The only other Terp in double-figures was center Lynetta Kizer, who finsihed with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Alyssa Thomas had one of her worst games of the season, scoring just six points on 2-for-10 shooting.

“We had a lot of isolation with her. We love the ball in her hands,” Frese said. “When she can shoot the three and attack off the bounce she is hard to guard. We have challenged Laurin with her consistency. She brought it tonight, she brought it on both ends of the floor.”

The Terps will resume ACC play on Thursday, when they host Wake Forest in Comcast Center.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s Terrapins women’s basketball beat reporter. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoshVitale.

For the first 62 days of the season, the Terrapins women’s basketball team was perfect. With 16 consecutive victories to start their 2011-12 campaign, the Terps looked poised to make a run at perfection.

But as the game clock struck zero in Coral Gables, Fla., Thursday night, the Terps were perfect no more.

Led by a dominant scoring performance from star guard Riquna Williams, No. 13 Miami held the No. 5 Terps at bay in a 75-63 victory, ending their undefeated season.

The Hurricanes (14-3, 3-1 ACC) came out of the gate strong, outscoring the Terps (16-1, 3-1)  by 12 early in the game to take a 22-10 lead as the midway point of the first half neared. But the Terps took control in the final 11:30, closing the half on a 17-3 run to take a two-point edge into the break.

The two teams traded blows early for much of the second half, but after a Brene Moseley score gave the Terps’ a two-point lead with just more than six minutes to play, the Hurricanes took over. Let by star guard Riquna Williams, Miami ended the contest on a 21-7 run en route to a 12-point victory.

Williams was the catalyst for the Hurricanes throughout the night, as her 34 points ultimately keyed Miami’s upset victory. For the game, Williams shot 50 percent from the field and made eight shots from beyond the arc.

The Terps will try to get back in the win column on Monday night, when they return home to face Virginia.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s Terrapins women’s basketball beat reporter. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoshVitale.