But as she was forced to speak about Duke's 77-63 loss to Texas A&M, her voice began to waver and the tears soon followed. By the time she returned to the locker room, she buried her face in her shirt to deal with the pain.

It doesn't matter that this was the place where Duke met a higher-seeded team and a conference champion. It didn't matter that this team has lost more games than any Devils squad since 1997.

They expected more.

"Regardless of the kind of year we've had or the adversity we've faced, any year that ends in a loss, especially a loss before the Final Four, is not acceptable to Duke," said Waner, who had 15 points. "That's the good thing about this program. This hurts. And we expect more. That says a lot about the goals we set for ourselves."

The loss Sunday ends a tumultuous year for the Blue Devils (25-10) as they've dealt with a new coach, new staff, new system and new problems.

This is the second straight year that the Blue Devils have left the tournament in the third round. Last year, Rutgers stunned top-seeded Duke with a 53-52 victory.

Under Joanne P. McCallie, Duke has become a tougher, more physical team with a dominant interior game -- Chante Black led the way with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Guard Keturah Jackson, little used by Gail Goestenkors, gave Duke a fierce defensive presence. The Devils showed more mettle against adversity.

All those things showed up Sunday.

And so did the less positive changes. Duke didn't have any offense going outside of the paint, it didn't have the athleticism to match the Aggies, and it simply couldn't deal with Texas A&M's pressure.

Duke knew about Texas A&M's pressure coming in, but it was clear early that the Devils had underestimated it. It took Duke nearly five minutes to score its first basket, by which time Texas A&M already held a 7-1 lead.

The Aggies (29-7) opened the game with a full-court press that demonstrated their athleticism, speed and on-the-ball defensive abilities. The Devils were rattled and a bit stunned -- Texas A&M's pressure was as effective as North Carolina's, a team Duke has lost to three straight times.

"We just wanted to get on them early and put as much pressure on them as we could," said Aggies star Takia Starks, who had 15 points and four steals. "We came out with our defense, and we felt like we had the momentum."

While the Aggies don't have quite the talent of the Tar Heels, they were just as persistent and stifling. Duke ended up turning the ball over 14 times in the first half -- eight off Aggies steals.

Duke turned the ball over on three straight possessions, allowing Texas A&M to take a 26-21 lead with 2:40 left in the half. Part of Duke's problem is that there wasn't any secret where the ball was going -- inside.

The Blue Devils got 22 of their 25 first-half points in the paint, and only Waner was even attempting a shot on the perimeter. Duke didn't get a 3 until the last five minutes of the game.

Texas A&M extended its lead in the second half, running the Devils ragged. One Aggie would take the ball from midcourt, with a Devil trailing her, and weave through traffic for a layup. Duke also got stopped by screens that led to big 3s, and Texas A&M beat the Blue Devils down the court to kill transition opportunities.

And it didn't help that the Aggies wanted to win so badly that they seemed to grow stronger the closer they got to victory.

Texas A&M is a program on the rise, built with Texas kids that Aggies coach Gary Blair said "no one's ever heard of." They don't have the long resume of the McDonald's All- Americans at Duke.

Blair said his team's play was a reflection of the respect they held for Duke. He wants his program to be where Duke is one day -- where losing at the regional semifinals is heartbreaking and simply not good enough.