Raleigh, N.C.- 42 points. 15 rebounds. With her season- make that her career- on the line, Terp women’s basketball forward Marissa Coleman literally willed the Terps to victory in their Sweet 16 rematch against No. 4 seed Vanderbilt this afternoon at the RBC Center.
The Terps were trailing the entire game, except for the last 2:07. And they weren’t just trailing. They were getting embarrassed. The Terps fell behind by as much as 18 in the first half, cut the halftime deficit to three, then allowed a 9-3 Vandy run to start the second.
The defense wasn’t there, either in transition or in the half court. No offense to Vandy- the Commodores are the SEC Tournament champions and a solid defensive team despite their size- but they didn’t appear to have the pure talent that we thought the Terps possessed.
Other than Coleman, guard Kristi Toliver (17 pts) and guard Kim Rodgers (12 rebounds) it’s safe to say every other Terp had an “off-day.”
After a technical foul on Lynetta Kizer and two Vandy free throws made it Vandy 68, Terps 57, with just 6:59 remaining, the game seemed over. The Terps were making runs, but they weren’t making enough stops. Vandy forward Christina Wirth (career high 28 points) hit crucial shot after crucial shot.
Then, the Terps rallied. The only way to stop Coleman in this game was to foul her. She went 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Kristi Toliver started hitting her shot. She scored 14 of her 17 total points in the second half.
Coleman hit the tie-breaking shot with 29 seconds left. She then got the rebound once Wirth missed on the other end and converted both free throws at the end for the 78-74 victory.
42 points and 15 rebounds when her team looked as good as dead again and again? I’d say that’s pretty epic.
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