As anticlimatic as the men’s NCAA final was on Monday, the women made up for it on Tuesday. Maryland trailed Duke by as many as 13 points and looked beaten in every way during a bad first half. But they put together a run midway through the second half to set up an incredible finish. Down by 4 with less than a minute remaining, Maryland hit two huge baskets, including a deep three-pointer by Kristi Toliver with less than ten seconds remaining to force overtime. Toliver is a freshman, and she stuck a three-pointer over 6’7″ Allison Bales with the game on the line. That’s what the NCAA Tournament is all about. Duke held the upper hand for most of the overtime, but a missed free throw by Bales opened the door for Maryland to take the lead, and they did with just over 30 seconds remaining. Duke didn’t score again and couldn’t get a good look on a potential tying three-pointer of their own as the clock ran out.

I know many of you don’t follow the women’s game, but this was as good as it gets in sports. Good storylines (Maryland’s youth vs. Duke’s veterans desperate for a title), good drama (Maryland’s comeback), good individual moments (Bales’ dominant performance, Toliver and Coleman leading the way as freshmen), and a Hollywood ending. This was a very memorable tournament all around.

The women move right into the WNBA draft today, and two Lady Dogs – Alexis Kendrick and Sherill Baker – hope to get the opportunity to play professionally. I’ll have their draft results later today.