RALEIGH -- As Georgia State's hopes of stealing a win from the top-seeded Blue Devils faded, Lindsey Harding slammed the door on the Lady Panthers with a steal of her own.
With a little under four minutes remaining, the Blue Devils held a 56-43 advantage. But Georgia State, the best No. 16 seed in the history of the women's tournament, was still a viable threat because of the Lady Panthers' ability to pour on points quickly and to hold the Blue Devil offense hostage with a stingy matchup zone.
Georgia State's best player and leading scorer, Patechia Hartman, brought the ball up the right side of the floor with Harding playing her tight. As Hartman prepared to move back to her left, she crossed the ball over. But Harding's lead hand was outstretched enough that when Hartman dribbled, all Harding had to do was slap the ball to herself for the steal.
"I'd just been pressuring the ball throughout the whole game," Harding said. "I was just in the right place at the right time, so I took it away."
What proceeded was a foot race, as Harding sprinted towards the right side of the basket with Hartman in close pursuit. When Harding picked up the dribble and began her stride for the layup, Hartman caught up to her and latched one hand onto the freshman's shoulder. Harding's momentum carried her up, but she was spun slightly away from the basket. She somehow managed to hoist a shot that kissed off the glass and in for a 58-43 lead.
Vicki Krapohl and Jessica Foley rushed at Harding and nearly bowled her over in their excitement. Harding picked up Krapohl, gave Foley a bear hug and then was embraced by the fans' loudest cheers of the game.
The team then got together in a circle and did a little more congratulating before Harding gathered herself at the foul line before draining a free throw.
"After that, we just kept things going until the end of the game," Harding said.
The three-point play effectively ended Georgia State's upset hopes by making the lead insurmountable and taking the wind out of the Lady Panthers' sails.
"That was a huge play for us," head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "It seems like at big points in the game, she'll come up with a steal or a big hustle play for us."
The defensive stop and three-point play was important for Duke not just because of when it came, but because it came on a day when the Blue Devil defense had been anything but stellar. This came as a surprise to Goestenkors and her players, who have become accustomed to playing hard-nosed, highly-effective defense day in and day out.
"We were so excited to play, they were bouncing off the walls yesterday," Goestenkors said. "I was a little concerned that we needed valium or something because we were just going crazy."
But the Blue Devils calmed without it, as Goestenkors and her squad lamented they were without much enthusiasm at the game's start. Goestenkors said she expected her team to channel the previous day's energy into tenacious defense, but that didn't come for the Blue Devils until the second half.
"I had confidence we would pull the game out somehow," Tillis said. "I knew we would get some defensive stops when we needed them."
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