Duke

The situation for Duke was dire. The Blue Devils were uptight, confused and stunned. And their opponent in yesterday's NCAA men's lacrosse semifinal, Cornell, was rolling. The Big Red had just rallied from a seven-goal deficit in the second half and tied the game with 17 seconds remaining. It looked as if the crowd of 52,004 at M&T Bank Stadium was about to witness one of the most surprising comebacks - and collapses - in NCAA tournament history. Instead, Duke did two things it has done better than any other team this season: strike quickly and finish strong.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Duke's uncharacteristic season ended last night with an equally non-traditional exit in the first round of the NCAA tournament, as Virginia Commonwealth made the game-winning shot for a 79-77 upset and halted the Blue Devils' streak of nine straight Sweet 16 appearances. VCU guard Eric Maynor, whose late-game heroics were the reason the Rams beat George Mason to get the Colonial Athletic Association's automatic bid, again played an integral role in his team advancing. This time, his 15-foot jumper with 1.8 seconds remaining propelled Virginia Commonwealth into the second round of the tournament for the first time since 1985.

Twenty-two days ago, the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team strolled into the Carrier Dome and tore through Syracuse with a 17-goal outburst. The Blue Jays haven't felt well since. After yesterday's 11-9 loss to visiting, No. 4 Duke, before 4,802 chilly spectators at Homewood Field, seventh-ranked Hopkins still is searching for its next victory. Duke attackmen Zack Greer and Matt Danowski, perhaps the best one-two scoring punch in Division I, were the main culprits in another frustrating outing for the Blue Jays.

Pace and fatigue How much gas does Duke have in its tank, and can it play at its preferred fast pace? The Blue Devils blew a 10-3 second-half lead against Cornell, largely because Duke lacks depth and it tired in the fourth quarter on a very hot day. Hopkins used three midfields and played five attackmen against Delaware, and would love to be within striking distance after three quarters. Battle for the ball Will Stephen Peyser and Jamison Koesterer take care of business in the faceoff game?

Cornell is trying to re-establish itself as a serious contender. Delaware is Cinderella and will become the fan favorite on college lacrosse's biggest stage. There's really not a big party if Johns Hopkins isn't invited, and the Blue Jays are back again, trying to win another national championship. But the biggest story in lacrosse the past two seasons has been about Duke, and one of the closing chapters will be written Monday when the Blue Devils beat Hopkins in the national championship game.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Whenever No. 2 Duke needed a goal yesterday in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament final, it was Matt Danowski who found the back of the cage or cleared the way for his teammates with his daunting presence. In front of a favorable home crowd at Koskinen Stadium and led by Danowski's three goals, the Blue Devils beat No. 3 Virginia, 12-9, for their first ACC title since 2002. "I kind of let the game come to me and not try to force anything or push something that's not there," Danowski said.

COLLEGE PARK-- --Gary Williams probably won't look any less hunched over this morning than he has all season, even though his team just finished handling Duke about as well as Duke could ever be handled. No, he can't straighten all the way up yet, because everybody will still be on his back. On his Maryland players' backs, too, but mainly on his, because, you know, this disaster that has befallen the program the past three seasons is all his fault, and it's a miracle he still has his job. Hey, maybe beating Duke yesterday saved his job. Because, think about it, what has he ever done for that school?

COLLEGE PARK -- The sixth-ranked Maryland women's basketball team prepared hard in practice Friday and Saturday for Duke senior point guard Lindsey Harding to make sure that this time would be different. This time, the Terps planned to give Harding a personal escort up the Comcast Center floor from baseline to baseline, to ensure that she wouldn't drive unmolested to the basket as she had six weeks earlier in Durham. Maryland women@Boston College Sunday, 3 p.m., Comcast SportsNet

In As You Like It, Shakespeare takes an amused look at how men and women behave when they're in love. The romantic comedy is being presented by the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company through July 8 at Patapsco Female Institute in Ellicott City, alternating with Henry V. Shakespeare knew a plot was necessary, but he was more interested in the love stories he wanted to tell. For a framework, he used a common theatrical situation -- a duke is overthrown and banished by his jealous and power-hungry younger brother.

As if anyone needed to be convinced, Duke senior attackman Matt Danowski proved once again Sunday that he is without peer in Division I men's lacrosse. Watching Danowski run circles around upset-minded North Carolina in a 19-11 rout in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals was the treat of the day at Navy. I remember at one point, while Danowski was igniting top-seeded Duke's furious comeback from an early 6-1 deficit, looking out at the crowd and thinking, if I didn't have this job and press pass that comes with it, I'd gladly fork over the dough for the ticket and the parking to watch this guy anytime, anywhere.

City schools chief Andr?s Alonso will receive a $29,000 performance bonus for the 2008-2009 academic year, the chairman of the school board said Thursday. The board-approved bonus, which is the same as the previous year's, rewards the strides Alonso has made in improving the district, including its recent exit from "corrective action," rising enrollment and a lower dropout rate, Chairman Neil E. Duke said in a letter. The board met earlier this month to discuss the matter and reaffirmed its decision in the past day or so, Duke said in an interview.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - -How do you resurrect an ailing football program? It all starts with winning more games. But there's so much more. Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis passed for 2,171 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, but the rising senior says that's not enough. Lewis has made himself an emissary for reviving Duke's football program. In public appearances, he talks about rising attendance, the community becoming more engaged and Wallace Wade Stadium undergoing much-needed renovation.

FOXBOROUGH, MASS. - The next time Duke gets an opportunity to play in the NCAA Division I men's Final Four lacrosse tournament, maybe it should borrow former first lady Nancy Reagan's line, and "just say no." Enough is enough. For the third straight year, Duke came into the final four as one of the hottest teams in the country, and for the second straight year the Blue Devils were eliminated in the semifinals, this time losing to Syracuse, 17-7, Saturday at Gillette Stadium. The first two losses were bad for morale because Duke had the two best offensive players on the planet in attackmen Matt Danowski and Zack Greer.

The road to the men's lacrosse final four does not go through Maryland - unless you are Virginia or Duke traveling up Interstate 95, that is. For just the third time since the NCAA implemented a season-ending tournament to determine a national champion in 1971, a Maryland school will not be represented in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament next weekend at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. With No. 1 seed Virginia, No. 2 seed and reigning national champion Syracuse, No. 3 Duke and No. 5 Cornell set to square off Saturday, ESPN analyst and former Army coach Jack Emmer said talented players are taking paths to programs outside of the hotbed of lacrosse.

Duke got goals from sophomore attackman Zach Howell and sophomore defenseman Tom Montelli in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, which ultimately carried the No. 3 Blue Devils over No. 6 North Carolina, 12-11, in the NCAA Division I tournament quarterfinals at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. With Duke's win, the Division I men's final four is set with Virginia-Cornell in one semifinal and Syracuse-Duke in the other Saturday in Foxborough, Mass. Duke had a 10-8 lead over North Carolina at the end of the third quarter.

During the previous two seasons, Duke coach John Danowski used the star system to fuel his offense - almost everything ran through All-America attackmen Matt Danowski and Zack Greer. The Blue Devils are using the same offensive system in 2009, but it's now built on balance and a team concept. A year ago, an opponent had a reasonable chance of beating Duke if it could stop or control Danowski or Greer. But who do you stop now? Do you face-guard attackmen Ned Crotty (21 goals, 47 assists)

DURHAM, N.C. -Thunderstorms delayed the start of Navy's first-round NCAA men's lacrosse game by approximately 30 minutes Saturday night. And after losing, 14-5, to Duke at Koskinen Stadium, the Midshipmen looked as if they were still recovering from a lightning strike. Navy was burned time and time again by third-seeded Duke's electric offense. While the likes of Zach Howell, Max Quinzani, Mike Catalino and Ned Crotty racked up point after point, the Midshipmen didn't score until 13:27 remained in the third quarter.

As a Maryland freshman, Brandi George brought lots of baggage to College Park. Her parents had just died six months apart, and George, a star gymnast, struggled to cope with the loss. Her college coach vowed to see her through it. When George arrived on campus, Bob "Duke" Nelligan presented her with a hand-hewn basswood memory box in which to store family keepsakes. On the lid, he had carved the Chinese symbol for courage. Moved to tears, George let her emotions spill out in just the kind of catharsis she needed.

The last two months of the Maryland men's basketball season were highlighted by the Terps' 180-degree turn toward an eventual NCAA tournament berth - and dragged down by the nasty feuding between the factions that wanted Gary Williams to stay and the ones that wanted him to go. As it turns out, the events of last week have further vindicated at least a few of the pro-Gary arguments. Mainly, those that compared what has happened lately in College Park to what has gone on in other programs, shining a better light on what Williams has done.

1 Baltimore chop: There are likely to be a lot of Florida State fans in Maryland - at least for one day - watching the ACC men's final, as the Seminoles play Duke (1 p.m., chs. 54, 5). 2 Terps win: Maryland didn't beat Duke yesterday, but the Terps did top the Blue Devils last week. Comcast SportsNet will show a replay of the ACC women's final at 12:30 p.m. 3 Shall we dance?: See whether the Maryland men receive an at-large bid when the NCAA tournament selections are announced (6 p.m., chs. 13, 9)