jjohnson@heraldsun.com; 419-6667
GREENSBORO -- Duke returned to championship form Sunday, surviving a battle against N.C. State 70-60 at the Greensboro Coliseum to capture the ACC Women's Tournament title.
Tournament most valuable player Jasmine Thomas led the Blue Devils with 18 points on the way to the program's sixth conference title. For the Blue Devils, Sunday's victory eased the pain of three previous trips to the finals where they lost. Duke's last championship came in 2004.
"It's been a great year for us," Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "It's what Duke does. Duke has a long tradition of winning championships and we wanted to add to it. The leadership of our seniors was fantastic. We had three tough games, and they represented what we'll see in the NCAA Tournament."
The Blue Devils withstood an early outburst from N.C. State, which reached the championship game under first-year coach Kellie Harper. The Wolfpack jumped out to an early 9-2 lead before Duke began exerting itself with a 14-0 run.
Duke, with a working margin built, played with poise the rest of the way. The Blue Devils eventually led by 11 points with 5:25 left in the first half, but N.C. State was able to scrap back to within five at 32-27 at the break.
"We talked about having to play with a lot of energy, and I thought early we did start that way," Harper said. "You know, I am extremely proud of our team for so many reasons -- for improving, for believing, for working hard in practice and for playing together. I am proud of them for wanting more."
N.C. State's desire, however, was not going to overcome Duke's superior size, talent and experience on Sunday.
Thomas got Duke off to a good start in the second half with a 3 from the left baseline. The Blue Devils kept N.C. State off balance offensively and quickly rebuilt their double-digit lead. Back-to-back baskets by center freshman center Allison Vernerey gave Duke a 15-point lead seven minutes into the half. It was Duke's biggest lead until it went up by 18 with 8:20 left in the game.
The Wolfpack, reflecting former coach Kay Yow's never-give-up attitude, fought to the end. When Brittany Strachan hit back-to-back 3s to cut Duke's lead to 65-56, Duke senior Keturah Jackson snuffed out the Wolfpack as she hurried the ball up the court and scored on a driving layup.
From there, Duke wound the final 2¬
