Duke 70, N.C. State 60

GREENSBORO - Duke won its sixth ACC Women's Basketball Tournament with a 70-60 victory over N.C. State at Greensboro Coliseum on Sunday.

In their third consecutive season in the finals of the tournament, the top-seeded Blue Devils rode their aggressive brand of hands-in-the-face, pressure defense to their first conference tournament title since 2004. 

Duke and N.C. State met in the ACC championship game for only the second time, with the Devils claiming their second victory over the Pack after winning 57-45 in 2001.

Duke emerged with its second championship this season after securing a share of the regular season title with Florida State. The Devils lost two games to ACC opponents this season - Boston College and North Carolina.

The Devils had routed the Pack 70-39 on Feb. 11, holding the pack to  24 percent shooting from the field. 

Defense carried the Devils to victory again on Sunday. 

Stepping into passing lanes for steals and scoring quick points off fastbreaks, Duke took a  32-27 lead at half-time. The Devils built on that lead with a 14-2 run first four minutes of the second half, jumping ahead 47-33 with 14:03 remaining.

A jumper from the free throw line by Duke senior Joy Cheek with 8:20 remaining gave Duke a commanding 60-42 lead.

Scrapping for rebounds and swiping for steals, the Devils denied the Pack any easy looks at the basket. They controlled the game with their defense, which ignited their offense.

Duke scored 28 points off turnovers, plucked 15 steals and amassed seven blocks.

Duke junior guard Jasmine Thomas scored a team-high 18 points. Fellow junior Karmia Christmas added 13 points.

Senior Joy Cheek also finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

State tried to become the first sixth seed to capture a conference title, having upsetting third-seeded Virginia and edging Boston College on Saturday it appeared the Pack could pull it off.  

But shooting just 35 percent from the field and committing 23 turnovers, it was difficult for the Pack to overcome Duke's pressure. 

After the Wolfpack opened the game with a 9-2 lead, the Devils took advantage of a four-minute scoreless stretch and turn the game in their favor - establishing their own 25-16 lead with 7:56 to play in the first half.

Thomas scored 9 points and grabbed five rebounds in the first half, attacking the rim after a scoreless first half in Saturday's semifinal victory over Georgia Tech.

The Devils forced 15 turnovers in the first half and turned them into 15 points.

State shot 8-for-23 from the field in the first half, with senior Nikitta Gartrell scoring nine points. 

Since the ACC Tournament arrived in Greensboro, only Duke, North Carolina or Maryland has won the championship.