In the midst of the raucous and sold-out Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday, the then-No. 3 Blue Devils dominated top-ranked Maryland in almost every facet of the highly-anticipated game en route to an 81-62 victory in the teams' first matchup since last season's national championship bout.
When the new Associated Press rankings were released Monday, Duke (18-0, 4-0 in the ACC) vaulted No. 2 North Carolina and rose to No. 1 in rankings, and the Terrapins (18-1, 2-1) fell to third.
"One thing that Coach [Gail Goestenkors] said to us yesterday that I think is really important is that with a win today, we don't win last year's national championship-that no matter what happened last year, we can't take it back," Abby Waner said. "So, I'm more excited for this year. I think that this was our first big test, and we really proved ourselves. But we have a lot farther to go."
In what some thought would be the first time an opponent would expose Duke's weaknesses, the Blue Devils appeared to have very few against the Terrapins.
Duke shot close to 50 percent, held Maryland to 37.8 percent shooting-including 28.9 percent in the first half-and nearly had the benchmark two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio.
The offense was sparked most by the unstoppable play of Lindsey Harding. Maryland did not have an answer for the elusive guard, who posted a team- and career-high 28 points. For her efforts, she was named ACC Player of the Week Monday.
On the defensive end, Alison Bales-who finished with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds and seven blocks-disrupted Maryland's game plan. The center took away many opportunities in the paint and forced the Terrapins to settle for outside shots, where they shot a dismal 3-for-18 from the three-point line.
Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said she was disappointed most by the fact that her team knew how "tremendous" Duke's defensive pressure was, but her team was unable to respond after it started shooting poorly in the first half.
Duke also benefited from the sporadic but smart and hungry play from its bench, as Emily Waner, Bridgette Mitchell and Joy Cheek provided valuable rest for the starters.
Although Duke finished with the lopsided victory, the game was close early on, and both teams came out fired up for their first contest since April's national title game.
Following big plays by their respective teams in the first half, Duke's Wanisha Smith and Maryland's star center Crystal Langhorne-who scored a season-low 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting-were jumping, stomping and yelling in order to encourage their squads. Both teams fed off their intensity, with Duke benefitting from its transition game early on and Maryland trying to out-muscle the Blue Devils with its half-court set.
After two made free throws by Maryland guard Kristi Toliver with 3:09 remaining in the first, the Terrapins trailed Duke, 35-30, but that would be the closest Maryland would sniff at taking the lead for the remainder of the game.
The Blue Devils went on a 6-0 run to close the half, with Harding thrashing through the Terps' defense and scoring all six points to take a 41-30 halftime lead.
"I said, 'I don't care about a lead. I have no interest in a lead right now. I don't want to secure a lead and hold onto a lead,'" Goestenkors said she told her team at halftime. "And I thought we came out in the second half and did that, as well."
Although Maryland approached its season average of 53.8 percent with an improved 51.7 percent in the second half, the team scored only two more points in the second than in the first.
With Maryland's offense sputtering, Duke did not relent in the second half, holding Langhorne to four points and continuing its first half success. Harding opened the second half as she closed the first, scoring the first four points, and the Blue Devils built up a 20-point, 73-53, lead with five minutes remaining.
"We felt like we were going in slow motion most of the game, and they were in fast forward," Frese said.
Duke starters Abby Waner and Carrem Gay struggled offensively throughout the game, with Waner shooting 2-for-9 from the three-point line and Gay going scoreless, but each contributed to the flow of the offense and on the defensive end.
Waner's two made threes came in the final minutes, following a standing ovation for Harding as she exited the game.
"We had a blast," Waner said. "It was great to have the crowd here-I can't say how much that does for our energy. Just right from the tip, Ali hit those two shots and Lindsey started driving. It was from start to finish. It was just attacking and aggressive, and when we play like that, it's a lot of fun."
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