Rutgers has date with destiny

On Saturday, Duke's Lindsey Harding missed two free throws with 0.1 seconds left and Rutgers escaped with a surreal, 53-52 win to advance to tonight's Greensboro (N.C.) Regional final against Arizona State.

As stunning as the win over the top-seeded Blue Devils was, Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said she wasn't totally surprised.

"It seems that it has been our destiny to play Arizona State," Stringer said. "It's kind of ironic that the game that was to be played at the beginning [of the season] would now be played at the end to decide who goes to the Final Four."

The fourth-seeded Scarlet Knights (25-8) and third-seeded Sun Devils (31-4) were supposed to play in the title game of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on Nov. 25. But Jordan Johnson, who made the trip to St. Thomas to watch his beloved big sister Aubree play for ASU, died in his sleep the night before from an enlarged heart.

The game was canceled, though neither team was given a loss because of the NCAA's "catastrophic event" rule. Rutgers could have claimed a forfeit victory simply by showing up, but instead the Scarlet Knights stayed away from the arena.

"To take a forfeit like that, in that type of situation? I couldn't imagine anyone doing that," Rutgers forward Essence Carson said. "That's kind of low."

Instead, Stringer visited Johnson and her family to try to comfort them, then periodically kept in touch during the season.

"It's incredible [Stringer] put life as a priority above basketball, because in college basketball it really gets blown up as the most important thing, when it's just a game," Johnson said. "I could just really tell how genuine she was . . . What they did for us was really remarkable."

Stringer can say what she wants about the outcome of Saturday's game, but the fact that Rutgers - and not Duke - is playing ASU tonight is also remarkable.

Harding could have given the Blue Devils (32-2) the win - or at least forced overtime - when she stole an inbounds pass near midcourt, drove hard to the basket and was fouled by Myia McCurdy.

Harding, a 75 percent free-throw shooter, missed both attempts - her only free throws of the game - and Carrem Gay's tipback as the horn sounded failed to come close. Harding fell to her back and covered her face in horror, while the Scarlet Knights celebrated their improbable win at midcourt.

"My heart just breaks for her right now," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said after the game. "I just don't want this to be her lasting memory, because she has meant so much to our program."

"They just didn't fall," said Harding, who finished with five points. "It felt good coming off. Everything felt good. It didn't really go down."

Matee Ajavon had 20 points for Rutgers, which won its sixth straight game. Alison Bales finished her Duke career by matching her season high of 21 points. *