Virginia Commonwealth 79, Duke 77

BUFFALO, March 15 — Eric Maynor made the shot that lifted Virginia Commonwealth and sank Duke.

For the first time since 1996, the second round of the N.C.A.A. tournament will not include Duke. With the score tied at 77-77, and a little more than 10 seconds to play, Maynor calmly dribbled down the floor. He made a pull-up jumper from the free-throw line with 1.8 seconds to play that gave Virginia Commonwealth a 79-77 victory in the opening round of the West Region.

Duke called timeout after Maynor’s shot, but there would be no Duke miracle Thursday night at HSBC Arena. The ball was inbounded to Greg Paulus, who launched a desperation shot from just beyond midcourt that was well off target at the buzzer. Virginia Commonwealth’s players danced and hugged on the court while Paulus slumped to the floor in despair and Duke fans watched in stunned disbelief.

The final few minutes were riveting, as both teams made clutch plays, especially Maynor, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard who is the Rams’ second-leading scorer. Maynor made a pull-up jumper that gave the Rams a 76-74 lead with 45 seconds to play. Josh McRoberts of Duke was fouled with 21 seconds left, but he missed the second of two free throws, leaving Virginia Commonwealth with a 1-point lead.

Duke fouled Jesse Pellot-Rosa intentionally with 16 seconds left. He made his first free throw but missed the second, leaving Duke behind, 77-75. DeMarcus Nelson of Duke raced the ball down the floor and scored on a driving layup that tied the score with 10.3 seconds left. But Maynor answered with a shot that left Duke in anguish.

Duke entered the tournament riding a three-game losing streak, and the No. 6 seed was the lowest for Duke since it was a No. 8 seed in 1996. That was also the last time that Duke was eliminated in the first round of the tournament. Duke is 21-3 in the first round under Mike Krzyzewski and had advanced to the Round of 16 the past nine seasons, which was the longest such streak in the country.

But this Blue Devils team could not put Virginia Commonwealth away. Duke led, 70-68, with four minutes to play. Maynor made two free throws with 3 minutes 56 seconds left, tying the score. But with 2:55 left, Jamal Shuler fouled Nelson. Nelson made his first foul shot, but he missed the second, leaving Duke with a 1-point lead. But Pellot-Rosa regained the lead for the Rams, making a 15-foot jumper with just under two minutes to play, leading to a Duke timeout.

Despite trailing for most of the game, Virginia Commonwealth kept rallying with long-range shooting. A 3-point jumper by Jamal Shuler pulled the Rams to 67-63 with 6:50 left. Then, after a Duke turnover, Pellot-Rosa hit another 3-pointer, cutting Duke’s lead to 67-66 and setting up the furious finish.

Virginia Commonwealth won the Colonial Athletic Association title under the first-year coach Anthony Grant, a former assistant at Florida under Billy Donovan. Grant was on the bench next to Donovan last season when the Gators won the national championship, and Grant’s positive tournament vibes rubbed off on his new team.

The Blue Devils needed a strong start to the second half and they got one, working their way to a 57-50 lead with less than 14 minutes to play. All five players on the floor were a threat to score for the Blue Devils, making it difficult for Virginia Commonwealth to focus on McRoberts or Paulus.

Defensively, Duke was physical and tenacious, and the referees were letting both teams bang bodies. Midway through the second half, Paulus and Maynor exchanged menacing looks after bumping into each other near center court.

The physical play worked to Duke’s advantage, with McRoberts having his way inside, and Virginia Commonwealth collecting fouls. Duke was shooting one and one from the free-throw line for the last 10 ½ minutes of the game,

Duke led at halftime 40-38, but that was a moral victory for Virginia Commonwealth. The Blue Devils dominated the first 10 minutes, racing to a 22-9 lead and frustrating the Rams with aggressive man-to-man defense. McRoberts was the best player on the floor in the first half, scoring 12 points before intermission and showing a variety of effective post moves.

But the momentum of the game changed once the Rams settled down offensively.

Their leading scorer, Maynor, began to penetrate effectively, and the quickness of the Rams forced Duke into hurried shots and turnovers.

A 3-point jumper from the corner by Jamal Shuler late in the first half tied the score at 38-38 and brought a huge roar from the strong contingent of Virginia Commonwealth fans.

By Duke standards, this had been a difficult season, and by halftime, it was clear that win or lose, the Blue Devils would be severely tested in the first round of the tournament.

That happened — and then some.

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