FINAL - Duke 74, Georgia Tech 66:
The Blue Devils couldn't put Georgia Tech away all game long, but No. 1 seed Duke held on behind the efforts of Karima Christmas and Jasmine Thomas, and will play for the ACC Tournament Championship tomorrow.
Georgia Tech had a chance to trim the deficit, down four with the ball, but a pass cross court was intercepted by Chelsea Gray. Gray was immediately fouled and only made one of two shots, but it forced the Yellow Jackets to begin fouling whenever Duke had the ball. The Blue Devils will await the winner of the upcoming game here in Greensboro between Miami and North Carolina.
1:23 2nd Half: Duke 70, Georgia Tech 64:
Jasmine Thomas hasn't scored a point since the first 3-pointer to open the second half, but her midrange jumper to put Duke up six might be the biggest of the game. Karima Christmas was trapped in the post, but the senior turned and fired a pass to an open Thomas, who buried the shot.
3:26 2nd Half: Duke 65, Georgia Tech 61:
Haley Peters would like to have the last 10 seconds back. After securing an offensive rebound, Peters nonchalantly dribbled out towards the arc to set up a new play, but Walthour poked the ball away and ran uncontested down the floor. Walthour passed the ball to Tyaunna Marshall for the easy lay-in, but Peters compounded her mistakes by fouling Marshall in the process, enabling a three-point play. Marshall missed the free-throw, but Georgia Tech captured the offensive rebound.
5:23 2nd Half: Duke 59, Georgia Tech 53:
Christmas comes up big again. Jasmine Thomas was forced to send up a prayer with the shot clock winding down, but her shot was well short. Christmas recovered the airball and quickly put up a shot just before the buzzer sounded, and the senior wasn't going to miss from close range.
7:05 2nd Half: Duke 55, Georgia Tech 53:
Credit the Yellow Jackets. They could have folded, down 10 in the second half, but Georgia Tech has come storming back behind a rejuvenated defense. The Blue Devils have to start executing in the halfcourt-- tight ball pressure from the Yellow Jackets resulted in a long Chelsea Gray 3-pointer on the last possession that never came close.
9:41 2nd Half: Duke 53, Georgia Tech 49:
Freshman Chloe Wells shows her age, fouling Walthour while the Yellow Jacket was launching a 3-pointer. Walthour converted from the line to make the game as close as it's been in a long time.
If Walthour's been the MVP for Georgia Tech, the Blue Devils owe thanks to Karima Christmas, who has come up with a number of huge shots. With 14 points off just eight shots, Christmas has been the most effective offensive option for Duke.
11:29 2nd Half: Duke 51, Georgia Tech 44:
Not so fast. Chelsea Regins's layup, and another 3-pointer from Metra Walthour has kept Georgia Tech alive. Walthour has been the MVP for the Yellow Jackets thus far, and has a game-high 15 points.
13:18 2nd Half: Duke 51, Georgia Tech 39:
With Chelsea Gray spotting up at the top of the arc, Jasmine Thomas zipped a pass over to the freshman, and Gray rattled home a huge 3-pointed to put Duke back up by 12. Gray hit a three from the exact same location yesterday against Wake Forest that signaled the rout was on, and this bomb today may have put the game a bit out of reach for the Yellow Jackets.
15:58 2nd Half: Duke 46, Georgia Tech 27:
Jasmine Thomas signaled her intentions to begin the half, drilling a 3-pointer to give her eight points on the day. The Yellow Jackets simply won't go away, however, as Alex Montgomery and Walthour continue to keep Georgia Tech alive with timely shooting.
Halftime: Duke 39, Georgia Tech 29:
Shay Selby's three with a little over five seconds left looked to have given Duke a 13-point advantage going into halftime, but Metra Walthour's heave from halfcourt at the buzzer banked in off the backboard, and the Yellow Jackets will only face a 10-point deficit.
Head coach Joanne P. McCallie will be happy with her team's performance in the first however, as Duke has played stifling defense for the most part. A great deal of Georgia Tech's points have come from long-range shots with the shot clock close to expiring. If the Blue Devils keep up the pressure, it will take a lights-out shooting effort from the Yellow Jackets to remain in contention.
1:01 1st Half: Duke 36, Georgia Tech 26:
Yesterday it was Jasmine Thomas, today Karima Christmas has gone down injured in the first half. Christmas spent a few minutes on the floor after apparently having the wind knocked out of her, and is laboring on the bench.
4:32 1st Half: Duke 32, Georgia Tech 21:
A quick 9-3 Blue Devil run has opened up the game a bit, and the Duke defense is beginning to settle in, enabling easy shot opportunities in transition. Chelsea Gray's trey and a stop-and-pop jumper from Karima Christmas have given the Blue Devils some breathing room.
7:18 1st Half: Duke 23, Georgia Tech 18:
The Yellow Jackets are finding ways to score late in possessions, and that's kept them in the game so far. The Blue Devils aren't helping themselves however, and have coughed up six turnovers already. Whenever Duke seems to pull away, an offensive foul or traveling call gives Georgia tech a chance to draw the game closer.
8:40 1st Half: Duke 19, Georgia Tech 16:
This doesn't look like the same Georgia Tech team that got blown out in Durham earlier this season. 3-pointers from Metra Walthour and Montgomery bring the Yellow Jackets within three.
12:44 1st Half: Duke 16, Georgia Tech 10:
Chelsea Gray is an underrated passer. Twice with the ball in isolation, Gray has found post players right under the bucket, enabling easy points first for Vernerey, and most recently for Krystal Thomas. Her ability to pass the ball is crucial, as the Blue Devils can rely on Gray to facilitate the offense when Jasmine Thomas is closely guarded. Alex Montgomery's corner three has the Yellow Jackets back within shouting distance, though.
15:49 1st Half: Duke 7, Georgia Tech 3:
Duke is having offensive success inside through the efforts of Krystal Thomas and Allison Vernerey, who both have a marked height advantage over the corps of Yellow Jacket post players. Vernerey's nifty reverse finish off a great pass from Jasmine Thomas, and Krystal Thomas's three-point play have erased Georgia Tech's early advantage. Defensively, Thomas has already racked up two blocks, the latest coming against an overmatched Dawnn Maye.
17:22 1st Half: Duke 2, Georgia Tech 3:
Jasmine Thomas is wearing a brace on her left knee today after twisting the knee yesterday against Wake Forest. The brace doesn't seem to be hurting her mobility at all.
Shay Selby puts the first points on the board with a smooth 15-foot jumper, but Selby's foul on Deja Foster in the act of shooting resulted in a Yellow Jacket three-point play to give them an early lead.
Starting Lineups:
For Georgia Tech:
Alex Montgomery, Metra Walthour, Deja Foster, Chelsea Regins, Sasha Goodlett.
For Duke:
Karima Christmas, Jasmine Thomas, Shay Selby, Allison Vernerey, Krystal Thomas.
Pregame: From the Greensboro Coliseum, this is the Blue Zone's live coverage of the semifinal round of the ACC Tournament, as the No. 1 seeded Duke Blue Devils (27-3) take on Georgia Tech 23-9, with a trip to the Tournament final on the line. The Blue Devils trounced Wake Forest yesterday 79-50, and they will be looking to carry the momentum over from a 50 percent shooting night against the Demon Deacons. These two teams met earlier this year in Durham, where a stifling Duke defense held the Yellow Jackets to just 32 points en route to a 69-32 blowout.
Head coach Joanne P. McCallie saw her team's fortunes flash before her eyes when Jasmine Thomas suffered a left knee injury that initially sent the standout senior to the locker room in severe pain. Thomas returned to finish the game, but it will be interesting to see if there are any residual effects from the injury today. The national anthem is about to begin, check back soon for the starting lineups.
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