Duke dodges Tar Heels in OT

CHAPEL HILL - It was a play that received little mention after the fact in Carmichael Auditorium's media room, and it was a play that hardly made an impression on the box score following No. 4 Duke's thrilling 92-85 victory over archrival North Carolina.

But it was also the play that turned the tide and helped the Blue Devils (19-1, 7-1 in the ACC) close out another heart-stopper with a 16-5 run over the final three minutes of overtime last night. And it was a play made by a freshman, who started only the second game of her career but was the critical catalyst in her team's fifth-ever triumph in Chapel Hill.

Deadlocked at 82-82 with less than two minutes remaining in overtime and the Tar Heels (10-8, 4-4) in possession of the ball, freshman Rometra Craig moved ever closer to UNC guard Coretta Brown, until the two collided near halfcourt. Craig's gutsy defensive play not only turned the ball back over to Duke, it dealt the Carolina lineup a hammering blow it could not endure after Brown, who played 40 minutes and handed out seven assists, fouled out. Without Brown in the game, Carolina scored only one more field goal the rest of the way, while Duke added to its total the last five trips down the court.

"I knew she doesn't like to dribble with her left hand, so I was expecting her to cross over with her right," said Craig, whose defensive stand came shortly after