Terrapins Bow Out

Coleman, Toliver See Careers End as Louisville Dominates: Louisville 77, Maryland 60

RALEIGH, N.C., March 30 -- Seventy seconds remained in the NCAA South Region final between top-seeded Maryland and third-seeded Louisville on Monday night when Marissa Coleman stepped to the foul line. The Maryland senior had shot plenty of pressure free throws over the past month, as the Terrapins won the ACC tournament and advanced to their second straight region final, but at this moment, tears started to trickle down her face.

Her team trailed by 19 points. The free throws would have no impact on the outcome of the game. Her college career was coming to an end.

Coleman made the two shots and, moments later, walked off the court to an ovation from the pro-Maryland crowd of 2,659 inside RBC Center. When the final horn sounded on the Cardinals' 77-60 victory -- which put them into their first-ever Final Four -- she and fellow senior Kristi Toliver were on the bench, disconsolate.

"It's always tough to have that moment, for seniors, for their careers to end. Especially two seniors like these two," said Coach Brenda Frese, who embraced each player as she left the court. "What they've meant to our team, what they've meant to our program -- you hate for it to end like this. I want to remember all the good times, all the wins. Remember the position they put us in."

Coleman and Toliver -- who went 126-19 and scored more than 2,000 points apiece in their four seasons -- had made no secret of their desire to finish their storied careers at Maryland in the same manner that they began them: with a national championship.

But in Louisville (33-4), they faced a team that is much like the Terrapins were in 2006, when Coleman and Toliver helped lead them to the NCAA title. The Cardinals are young and brash -- their shouts filled the arena during pregame warmups, as the Terrapins quietly shot at the other end of the court -- and have an up-and-coming coach, former Maryland assistant Jeff Walz. They will face the winner of the Midwest Region, either Oklahoma or Purdue, on Sunday evening at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

Louisville senior Angel McCoughtry, a Baltimore native who helped transform a program that had never before advanced past the round of 16, was named the region's most outstanding player, after recording 21 points (on 9-of-25 shooting) and 13 rebounds against Maryland (31-5). Coleman (18 points) and Toliver (14 points) also were named to the all-region team, as was Louisville senior Candyce Bingham (15 points).

The Terrapins had specialized in double-digit comebacks throughout the postseason, starting with their rally against Wake Forest in the ACC tournament quarterfinals and extending to Saturday's 78-74 victory over Vanderbilt, in which Coleman scored 42 points as they overcame an 18-point deficit. They never led against Louisville.

Frese said that the energy the Terrapins expended in that game might have affected them on Monday, particularly against a Louisville team that plays a physical, pressing style. Maryland committed 21 turnovers and struggled to find open shots against the Cardinals' aggressive defense; the Terrapins missed 17 of their first 23 shots, and shot 38.9 percent overall from the floor.

"They did a really good job making us uncomfortable, and throwing different looks at us," Toliver said. "They wanted to be physical from the beginning. We never really could get into rhythm."

The Terrapins, behind the shooting of sophomore Marah Strickland (15 points), whittled Louisville's lead to 28-25 toward the end of the first half, but they missed a pair of free throws and then gave up a buzzer-beating jumper from McCoughtry. The Cardinals' advantage ballooned to 44-31 following back-to-back baskets by McCoughtry with 14 minutes 55 seconds to play.

Maryland didn't get closer than eight points the rest of the way. Louisville, despite the efforts of Maryland junior Dee Liles (17 rebounds), scored 14 points off of its 17 offensive rebounds.

Coleman and Toliver were known for their clutch shot-making, but on Monday it was Louisville that hit the timely shots, such as sophomore point guard Deseree' Byrd (17 points, nine assists) converting a tough three-point play, or freshman guard Becky Burke (10 points) sinking an open three-pointer.

The loss abruptly ended what had been a charmed two-month run for the Terrapins. Coleman and Toliver led Maryland to 15 straight wins -- Monday's defeat was its first since Jan. 30 -- and a sweep of the ACC regular season and tournament titles. But after winning the national title as freshmen, they never got back to a Final Four, losing in the second round in 2007 and in the region final the past two seasons.

"We knew we could make it to a Final Four, and you know, we fell short," Coleman said. "We accomplished a lot of great things. We thought we could win the ACC championship and ACC title, and we did that. We accomplished a lot of things that people thought weren't possible. I wouldn't have wanted to spend my senior season with a better group of girls or coaching staff than what I did this year."