BOSTON - The Blue Devils were less than 10 seconds away from claiming the first National Championship in Duke women's basketball history. They just needed one defensive stop to hold on to their 70-67 advantage and start the celebration.
But standing on the right wing just in front of the Maryland bench, Terrapin guard Kristi Toliver launched a deep three-pointer over Duke's Alison Bales. The nearly impossible shot swished through the net to knot the score at 70 and send the National Championship into overtime.
The second-seeded Terrapins (34-4) rode their momentum through the extra period to take down the top-seeded Blue Devils, 78-75, and win their first National Championship.
Duke (31-4) had led by as much as 13 during the game, but Maryland slowly chipped away, gaining confidence and shooting accuracy as the game progressed.
"Early on we were the aggressor and I thought we did a great job," Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "But as the game wore on, they became a little more comfortable, and when Toliver hit that shot at the end of regulation, that was tough for us."
The Blue Devils had a last-second chance to win the game during regulation. But point guard Lindsey Harding's 12-foot attempt from the right baseline bounced off the rim, and the Terrapins celebrated their second chance. Maryland had not lost an overtime game this season.
The extra period was a scramble on both ends. After the two teams alternated scoring for the first four minutes of the period, Maryland forward Marissa Coleman fouled Bales to send the junior to the free-throw line with 47 seconds remaining. Bales made her first shot to give Duke a one-point lead, 75-74, but she hit the front of the rim on her second. The Blue Devils would not score again Tuesday night.
Harding fouled Toliver with 34.2 remaining on the clock, marking the point guard's fifth personal foul and sending her to the bench. Toliver made both her shots to put the Terps ahead, 76-75. After freshman Abby Waner missed a jump shot, Bales was forced to foul Coleman with 13.4 seconds remaining. The Maryland freshman made both her free throws, pushing the margin to three.
On Duke's last chance to force a second overtime, Waner threw a bad crosscourt pass to senior Jessica Foley, who launched a three-point shot from the left wing. The ball skimmed the front of the rim and fell short of its target as the final buzzer sounded, cementing Maryland's victory.
The Terrapin team that won the game was not the same squad that the Blue Devils saw in the first half-Duke held a 10-point advantage at the break.
"They just continued to gain more confidence the longer they played with us, and they just cut into the lead," Goestenkors said. "They were better in the second half. I think they became more comfortable. And they were just better, and they hit some tough shots, but they have been hitting those shots all year."
Maryland went on several runs in the second half as Duke's defense gradually weakened. The Terrapins kept the game moving quickly and shot 53.3 percent from the field, compared to 32.3 percent in the first half.
With less than 10 minutes to play in the second half, Coleman made two pull-up jumpers to cut Duke's lead to three. The Blue Devils' lead never grew to more than five points the rest of the game.
"We didn't really get the stops that we needed to maintain the lead that we had," senior Monique Currie said. "And they just crept up on us and took the lead."
In the first half, Duke came out hard against the young Terrapins, capitalizing on the 13 turnovers it forced Maryland to make through high pressure and aggressive play.
With 7:30 on the clock, Waner ran toward the Duke bench, stole a Shay Doran pass in midair and whipped the ball behind her back to Harding as her momentum carried her into the bench. Harding quickly drove down the right side of the court for a layup. The basket went in, and Jade Perry fouled Harding as she went up for the shot. Harding completed the three-point play to bring the score to 27-15.
But not all of Duke's shots fell-the Blue Devils were 2-for-6 from beyond the arc and fumbled several attempts from underneath the basket.
"We were so excited coming out of the gate," Goestenkors said. "We got great looks and didn't make them pay for it. So I think that probably would have helped us a great deal had we put those easy baskets down early and gotten a bigger lead."
The Blue Devils opened up a 13-point lead during the first half, as Currie, who led Duke in scoring with 22 points, scored 10 of Duke's 38 points. Harding chipped in 13 before the break.
"We felt great at half time," Currie said. "We thought we were playing pretty well. We wanted to do a better job of rebounding, but we felt like we were in a good position to win the game if we continued to play like we played that entire half."
Instead, the Blue Devils walked off the court with tears in their eyes. For Currie, Foley and fellow senior Mistie Williams, the matchup was their final game playing for Duke, and their last chance to help win the program's first National Title.
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