Duke captures East region title

RALEIGH -- How far they've come.

There was a time in November when the women's basketball team stood at 3-2, its future uncertain after shocking losses to Toledo and South Carolina.

Now, 28 wins later, the Blue Devils are bound for the Final Four after a 77-68 victory over the Gamecocks.

"It's an indescribable feeling, it's awesome," said junior Michele Matyasovsky, who along with Alana Beard and Sheana Mosch, was named to the All-East Region team. "It's something I've dreamed about, it's just the greatest feeling ever."

While the Blue Devils celebrated and reflected on their accomplishment, the Gamecocks were left to ponder what could have been in their first Elite Eight appearance.

After trailing by 13 at the intermission, South Carolina started to make a run early in the second half. Following a pause in the action so that guard Shaunzinski Gortman could find a lost contact, the Gamecocks reclaimed vision of their own.

Aggressive defense and an up-tempo offense allowed South Carolina to slowly peck away at Duke's margin, eventually using a series of fast-break layups to knot the score at 42.

"As a basketball team, I think one of the most important parts of the game is the first five minutes of the second half," South Carolina coach Susan Walvius said. "We knew we had to come out and chip away, and not try to get it all back at one time."

"When we got the lead, I really thought we were going to have an opportunity to win the game," Walvius said. "But Duke is tough mentally, and they're very, very talented. And they've been here before."

Before South Carolina trailed, it appeared that the Gamecocks were going to have the game's upperhand. USC scored the game's first eight points but Duke was able to regroup and push ahead by one. The Gamecocks failed to teeter, however, responding with a series of field goals to take a 16-13 lead near the midway point of the half.

But that's when the momentum began to shift.

A jumper by Mosch propelled the Blue Devils back in front, a lead they surrendered only once the rest of the game. Duke's defense clamped down vigorously, forcing seven Gamecocks turnovers and picking up four blocks over the final 9:50 of the first half.

Even Beard, whose trademark defensive play is a stealthy steal on the opposing team's point guard, joined the block party, swatting Petra Ujhelyi's attempted shot from the paint with authority, starting a string of three consecutive blocks for the Blue Devils.

"Everyday you see something from [Beard] that maybe you haven't seen before," coach Gail Goestenkors said. "She's constantly doing new things, whether it be on the offensive or defensive end. She had a block tonight from the weak side where she helped out. She's always doing something to help her teammates out."

The scene as the final buzzer neared was as memorable as any over the course of Duke's remarkable, and not yet concluded, season. A beaming Beard danced at the free throw line, with just a tick remaining on the clock, ready to cut down the nets and make the season's final stop in San Antonio, where she will try to something else new--bringing a national championship back to Duke.