Maryland was the only team in the 2006 Women’s Final Four that wasn’t a No. 1 seed. That lofty label went to their Atlantic Coast Conference rivals Duke and North Carolina and Southeastern Conference power LSU.

The second-seeded Terrapins won’t have to play second fiddle to anyone, though, after rallying from a 13-point deficit to defeat Duke, 78-75, in overtime in the championship game of the Women’s Final Four April 4 in Boston.

It was an uphill climb for Maryland the entire game, and the Terrapins’ championship dreams were in a perilous state in the final seconds of regulation until freshman point guard Kristi Toliver sank a three-pointer over the outstretched arm of Duke’s 6-7 center Alison Bales to tie the game at 70 with just 6.1 seconds on the clock.

Toliver, who finished with 16 points and four assists, felt the shot was good as soon as it left her hands, despite shooting over such an imposing obstacle as Bales.

“I even felt her fingertips as I was holding my follow through,” Toliver said. “So, she did a great job contesting. I just had a lot of confidence. And I knew I wanted to take the big shot, so I just took it.”

Duke’s Lindsey Harding rushed the ball up court, but her well-contested baseline jumper missed at the buzzer. The Terrapins swarmed the court after forcing the first championship-game overtime since Tennessee downed Virginia, 70-67, in 1991.

Maryland’s players knew they were a perfect 5-0 this season going into the extra five minutes of play.

“What a better way to win a national championship than in overtime, which was our time all season long?” said freshman forward Marissa Coleman.

Despite their youth, Toliver and Coleman made several clutch shots down the stretch in regulation.

Duke coach Gail Goestenkors wasn’t surprised to see the pair of freshmen maintain their poise. After all, this was the fourth meeting between the two ACC programs this season.

Maryland lost both regular-season meetings but defeated Duke in the semifinals of the ACC tournament. The Terrapins evened the season series by outscoring the Blue Devils, 8-5, in overtime.

Maryland didn’t take its first lead in the extra session until Toliver swished two free throws with 35 seconds remaining to make the score 76-75. Coleman added a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left.

Duke’s Jessica Foley missed a tying three-pointer in the closing seconds. The Terrapins led the game for a total of only 55 seconds.

Toliver, Shay Doron and 6-4 sophomore Laura Harper each had 16 points for Maryland. Coleman contributed 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Crystal Langhorne finished with 12 points.

Fifth-year senior Monique Curry led Duke with 22 points, and Bales posted a double-double with 19 points and 12 boards. 

While conventional thinking may have positioned the young Terrapins as likely being a year away from making a serious run at a championship, they played well ahead of the learning curve.

“Age is just a number,” said Maryland coach Brenda Frese, who at age 35 became the fifth-youngest coach to win a Division I title. “When you have kids that believe in each other, and they’ve got that kind of confidence, you can accomplish anything as a team.”

Maryland, 34-4, reached the final by downing the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed North Carolina, 81-70, in the national semifinals. The Tar Heels’ only two losses this season came courtesy of the Terrapins.

Duke, 31-4, cruised by LSU, 64-45, in the other semifinal to set up the all-ACC final.

Maryland’s Harper was named the tournament’s most outstanding player after averaging 20 points and eight rebounds in the Final Four.

She was joined on the all-tournament team by Toliver, Bales, Currie and North Carolina’s Erlana Larkins.

Regional semifinals

San Antonio regional — LSU 66, DePaul 56; Stanford 88, Oklahoma 74.

Albuquerque regional — Maryland 82, Baylor 63; Utah 57, Boston College 54.

Cleveland regional — Tennessee 76, Rutgers 69; North Carolina 70, Purdue 68.

Bridgeport regional — Duke 86, Michigan St. 61; Connecticut 77, Georgia 75.

Regional finals

San Antonio regional — LSU 62, Stanford 59.

Albuquerque regional — Maryland 75, Utah 65 (ot).

Cleveland regional — North Carolina 75, Tennessee 63.

Bridgeport regional — Duke 63, Connecticut 61 (ot).

Semifinals

Maryland 81, North Carolina 70

Maryland: Laura Harper 8-16, 8-10, 9, 24; Marissa Coleman 3-5, 6-6, 14, 12; Crystal Langhorne 10-12, 3-6, 2, 23; Kristi Tolliver 5-12, 3-4, 4, 14; Shay Doron 2-5, 4-6, 5, 8; Ashleigh Newman 0-0, 0-0, 3, 0; Charmaine Carr 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Aurelie Noirez 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Jade Perry 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. Totals: 28-50, 24-32, 41 (4 team), 81.

North Carolina: Camille Little 3-10, 2-2, 6, 8; Jessica Sell 2-5, 0-0, 0, 6; Erlana Larkins 9-17, 10-15, 10, 28; Ivory Latta 5-17, 3-5, 0, 14; La’Tangela Atkinson 2-6, 0-0, 6, 4; Jennifer Nelms 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Alex Miller 1-2, 0-0, 0, 3; Heather Claytor 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Christina Dewitt 2-4, 0-0, 5, 4; Meghan Austin 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; LaToya Pringle 0-2, 0-0, 1, 0; Rashanda McCants 1-4, 1-2, 2, 3. Totals: 25-68, 16-24, 31 (1 team), 70.

Halftime: Maryland 36, North Carolina 34. Three-point field goals: Maryland 1-8 (Tolliver 1-6, Coleman 0-1, Doron 0-1); North Carolina 4-23 (Sell 2-4, Miller 1-2, Latta 1-10, McCants 0-1, Dewitt 0-1, Claytor 0-1, Atkinson 0-1, Little 0-3). Officials: Melissa Barlow, Scott Yarbrough, Eric Brewton.

Duke 64, LSU 45

LSU: Ashley Thomas 0-6, 0-0, 4, 0; Sylvia Fowles 3-8, 2-4, 13, 8; Erica White 1-5, 1-2, 5, 3; Scholanda Hoston 2-13, 4-4, 3, 8; Seimone Augustus 6-18, 1-2, 3, 14; RaShonta LeBlanc 1-3, 0-0, 1, 2; Florence Williams 5-9, 0-0, 3, 10. Totals: 18-62, 8-12, 38 (6 team), 45.

Duke: Mistie Williams 7-9, 0-0, 9, 14; Wanisha Smith 0-0, 0-0, 3, 0; Alison Bales 3-9, 1-2, 5, 7; Lindsey Harding 4-11, 2-3, 6, 10; Monique Currie 6-11, 1-2, 4, 13; Emily Waner 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Laura Kurz 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Abby Waner 2-3, 5-8, 3, 11; Chante Black 3-7, 1-2, 6, 7; Jessica Foley 1-2, 0-0, 1, 2. Totals: 26-52, 10-17, 38 (1 team), 64.

Halftime: Duke 26, LSU 15. Three-point field goals: LSU 1-9 (Augustus 1-3, Williams 0-1, Hoston 0-5); Duke 2-3 (Waner 2-2, Foley 0-1). Officials: Dee Kantner, Michael Price, Denise Brooks-Clauser.

Championship game

Maryland 78, Duke 75 (ot)

Maryland: Laura Harper 6-14, 4-6, 7, 16; Marissa Coleman 4-12, 2-2, 14, 10; Crystal Langhorne 4-6, 4-6, 7, 12; Kristi Toliver 6-18, 2-2, 3, 16; Shay Doron 4-9, 6-6, 3, 16; Ashleigh Newman 1-3, 1-2, 0, 4; Charmaine Carr 0-0, 0-0, 1, 0; Jade Perry 2-3, 0-0, 2, 4. Totals: 27-65, 19-24, 42 (5 team), 78.

Duke: Mistie Williams 1-8, 1-3, 3, 3; Wanisha Smith 0-2, 0-0, 4, 0; Alison Bales 7-11, 5-6, 12, 19; Lindsey Harding 6-14, 4-5, 3, 16; Monique Curry 7-16, 8-9, 6, 22; Abby Waner 1-6, 2-3, 4, 5; Chante Black 0-2, 0-0, 3, 0; Jessica  Foley 3-6, 2-2, 1, 10. Totals: 25-65, 22-28, 41 (5 team), 75.

Halftime: Duke 38, Maryland 28. Three-point field goals: Maryland 5-14 (Doron 2-4, Toliver 2-6, Newman 1-2, Coleman 0-2); Duke 3-11 (Foley 2-5, Waner 1-3, Smith 0-1, Harding 0-1, Currie 0-1). Officials: Lisa Mattingly, Bob Trammell, Tina Napier.