GREEBSBORO -- Just as it did Friday night against Wake Forest, Duke jumped out to an early 10-point lead minutes into Sunday's matchup against Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament's second round. Unlike the sputtering performance in the first round, however, the Blue Devils never wavered Sunday, opening a 30-point advantage early in the second half and cruising to a 76-52 victory in the Greensboro Coliseum.
Duke (30-1, 18-0 in the ACC) will try to earn its fourth straight ACC title as it takes on archrival North Carolina in the championship Monday evening. The Yellow Jackets (20-10, 9-9) await selection Sunday to find out where they will travel for the NCAA Tournament's first round.
Despite the Blue Devils' incredible run in recent years, a streak unprecedented in ACC history, the team has seldom showed the dominance it did Sunday.
"Usually, it seems that even when we get big leads, like last year, teams come back on us in the tournament," Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "It was really nice for us to put this team away and feel good about ourselves heading into tomorrow."
Following Friday's down-to-the-wire contest, the Blue Devils spent the postgame locker room interviews playing games on dry-erase boards to relax and prepare for the second round. Their efforts paid off.
"Today, particularly, our warm-up was so good," freshman Jessica Foley said. "I knew as the game started and we got our running game going that everyone was in the flow of things."
The Blue Devils came out flying, taking an 8-0 lead just 2:11 into the contest. That grew to 11-0 before the Yellow Jackets finally scored 2 minutes later. Georgia Tech hung tough, keeping the game at eight points until Duke ended the first half with a run in the last 1:47.
Up 39-21 at the break, the Blue Devils began the second stanza with a 15-3 streak. Suddenly down 30, 54-24, the Yellow Jackets looked stunned.
"We pretty much demolished their confidence," said Duke's Sheana Mosch, whose 16 points led all scorers, and who became the ACC's most winning female basketball player by recording her 119th career win.
Mosch's performance reflected the overall success of the Blue Devil bench, which finished with 36 points and narrowly missed outscoring the starters. All-American Alana Beard only played 19 minutes and tallied just 11 points, a far cry from her 22-point average.
Plagued with foul trouble in the first half, Beard enjoyed watching much of the game from the bench, particularly after her team pushed the lead to 30.
"I'd sit out the entire game if it meant we'd win," Beard said.
Even with two early fouls, Beard scored 10 points before the break, a first half the Blue Devils dominated statistically. Duke held Georgia Tech to just 6-of-23 shooting. By comparison, the Blue Devils scored 18 points in three-pointers alone.
Duke forced 13 turnovers and pulled down 10 offensive rebounds, generating 23 extra possessions. Despite shooting just 38 percent from the floor, the Blue Devils took 14 extra shot attempts that contributed to the 18-point halftime edge.
"We were just very focused and ready to play on both ends of the floor," Goestenkors said. "I think we set the tone attacking on offense and with our pressure defense."
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