Hook, line and sinker: Bass' 10-point run sparks Duke win over Georgia

ALBUQUERQUE N.M. -- Coming out of a timeout with 11:54 remaining in the game, top-seeded Duke (34-1) trailed upset-minded Georgia (21-10) 44-41.

However, freshman center Mistie Bass--who had scored just nine points in the last four games--poured in 10 consecutive points in a span of nearly four minutes to give the Blue Devils a 51-46 lead. Bass' run helped propel Duke to a 66-63 victory over the fifth-seeded Bulldogs and earn a spot in the Elite Eight against No. 2 Texas Tech Monday night.

"Mistie gave us the spark we needed," Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "When she hit a couple of buckets, she was so emotional and I think she really got everyone else going as well."

The Blue Devils had struggled all night against Georgia's stifling 2-3 zone defense which limited Duke to 32 percent shooting in the first half and 41 percent for the game.

A series of set plays that Duke ran for Bass against the zone allowed the freshman to convert a mid-paint turnaround hook shot, a putback off a Lindsey Harding miss, two free throws and a pair of layups off feeds from Sheana Mosch and Alana Beard.

"As far as the zone went, the back man got stuck to the outside," Georgia center Christi Thomas said of Bass' 10-point run. "I didn't get around to get a finger on the ball and deny. She just played good in that little stretch and she did what her team needed her to do to win."

Duke extended its lead to seven with 5:36 left in the second half after consecutive three-point shots by point guard Vicki Kraphol and forward Iciss Tillis, who finished with a game-high 21 points.

The seven-point margin--the Blue Devils' largest of the night--lasted only 20 seconds, and eight points by Georgia reserve Ebony Felder brought the Bulldogs to within three with less than 1 minute left on the clock.

"I think [Georgia] did what they wanted to do on defense in the first half," Goestenkors said. "We weren't very patient and didn't penetrate the gaps. We shot a lot of threes and a lot of jumpers and kind of fell into what they wanted us to do."

The Bulldogs also did something that very few teams have been able to accomplish this year--shutting down Beard on offense for most of the night.

Beard, who averages 21.9 points per game, was held to just 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting. The All-American and ESPN Player of the Year did not even attempt a shot until 7:12 into the game and did not score a field goal until the 2:33 mark of the first half.

"Our game plan was to force [Beard] to take as few shots as we could because their game goes through her," Georgia forward Mary Beth Lycett said. "I thought we did a really good job of slowing her down, and I think we got her a little frustrated at one point. That was a key for us to stay in the game."

Beard's lone first-half field goal--a three-pointer--gave Duke a 26-25 advantage for its first lead of the game. The Bulldogs responded with a shot from behind the arc of their own and entered halftime with a 32-28 edge.

Georgia maintained its lead in the second half, stretching it to as much as six points, until Bass went on her run.

"I just give so much credit to Georgia for the way they played," Goestenkors said. "I thought they played very hard and with great intensity. I also give my team credit for never losing our composure and just playing through the tough times to find a way to win."