Jan. 13, 2007
Box Score |
AP Photo Gallery 
|
Photo Gallery 2
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Lindsey Harding scored 16 of her 28 points in the first half, Alison Bales flirted with a triple-double and No. 3 Duke routed top-ranked Maryland 81-62 Saturday in a rematch of last season's national championship game.
Bales finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocked shots for the Blue Devils (18-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who closed the first half with a 13-4 run, didn't let up in the second and made a strong case to take over the No. 1 ranking from the Terrapins.
Duke's smothering defense dominated a Maryland offense which entered with the nation's best field-goal percentage at 53.8 percent. The Terrapins were held to 37.8 percent by the Blue Devils - who have the country's stingiest defense - and were held 1-of-15 shooting during the final 5:49 of the first half.
"We knew Duke's defensive pressure was tremendous," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "In the first half when we weren't hitting shots, we didn't find other areas in the game to have an impact on."
Duke won its sixth game against a ranked team, and for the Blue Devils, this one clearly was the most satisfying. Maryland beat Duke 78-75 in an overtime thriller in the national title game last April, a classic that included Kristi Toliver's game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation.
This time, the Blue Devils wouldn't give Toliver another chance to break their hearts, holding her to eight points - and just two at halftime on 0-of-8 shooting - before she exited with 5:37 remaining after apparently injuring her ankle. She downplayed the injury, saying it wasn't serious and that she simply slipped on moisture.
"Our frustration came from us not knocking down shots," Toliver said. "That's something we need to improve on. We can't let our offense dictate our defense, which is what we did tonight."
Crystal Langhorne had 14 points and Shay Doron added 11 for the Terrapins (18-1, 2-1).
Wanisha Smith added 15 points and Abby Waner had 11 for the Blue Devils, one of two remaining unbeatens in the country, and the other is Tobacco Road rival No. 2 North Carolina.
Duke's two stars - Harding and Bales - led the way during its game-breaking run late in the half.
Duke led 28-26 before Harding started the burst with a layup. Bales blocked three shots during the stretch and Harding closed the spurt with two free throws, making it 41-30 at the break.
