Details of the alleged rape and beating of an exotic dancer who had been hired for a party of Duke University men's lacrosse team players earlier this month were made public yesterday. The woman accuses three players of holding her in a bathroom while all three sexually and physically assaulted her.

Within minutes of breaking free of the house, the woman was driven to a nearby supermarket where an employee called 911, according to police.

Fourteen of the team's players are from Long Island. North Carolina authorities have not charged or arrested anyone as they await test results of DNA taken with a search warrant from 46 of the nationally ranked team's 47 players.

The university is being criticized for waiting until Tuesday — after its men's basketball team was eliminated from NCAA competition — to suspend the lacrosse season, even though the alleged rape victim made her accusation to police the night of the March 13 team party.

Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong said he will personally handle the case, which has racial overtones. The accuser, a black woman who was one of two exotic dancers hired by the lacrosse team for the party, told police her three attackers were white.

The team captains yesterday denied the accusations in a statement posted on the university athletic department's official Web site, but their names were not listed. A separate athletic department news release names the 2006 lacrosse team captains as seniors Dan Flannery of Garden City, Matt Zash of Massapequa, and David Evans and Bret Thompson, both of Maryland. The rape took place at a Durham house leased by three of the captains, the police said, but they did not name them.

On GoDuke.com, the captains' statement read: "We also stated unequivocally that any allegation that a sexual assault or rape occurred is totally and transparently false. The DNA results will demonstrate that these allegations are absolutely false."

A Durham City police search warrant affidavit, released yesterday, describes the accusations: "The victim reported that they began to preform [sic] their dance in master bedroom area. After a few minutes, the males watching them started to get excited and aggressive," according to the police affidavit.

The dancers, concerned for their safety, left the house but returned after one player came out and apologized. Once inside, "Two males ... pulled her into the bathroom. Someone closed the door to the bathroom where she was and said, 'sweet heart you can't leave.' The victim stated she tried to leave and the three males force fully held her legs and arms and sexually assaulted her" for about half an hour as she was "hit, kicked and strangled," according to the police affidavit, which only uses first names. The affidavit does not say what happened to the second dancer.

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Police are investigating the crimes of first degree forcible rape, first degree kidnapping, first degree forcible sexual offense, common-law robbery and felonious strangulation.

"The captains of the team met this morning with [Duke] President [Richard] Brodhead, and expressed sincere regret over the lapse in judgment in having the party on March 13, which has caused so much anguish for the Duke community and shame to our families and ourselves," the captains said in the statement on GoDuke.com.

An employee at the office of attorney Robert Ekstrand of Durham, who said he represents a majority of the players, said he would have no comment.

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On Long Island, reaction from coaches, parents and players was a mix of concern and dismay. Many are adopting a wait-and-see approach.

"It's an absolutely unfortunate situation for all of the parties involved," Northport High School boys lacrosse coach Bob Macaluso said.

Harriet McDonough, whose son Francis is a sophomore varsity player at Garden City High School, said the incident is a lesson for young players trying to get recruited. "What an embarrassment to the university, especially for a top NCAA team, a contender," she said.

"You have to get rid of the coach, you've got to scrap the team and you've got to start again."

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