The Duke Blue Devils held off a second-half charge by the DePaul Blue Demons in the Sweet 16 of the Women’s NCAA Tournament to win 70-63. Duke entered halftime with a 41-28 lead, but saw it reduced to single-digit points for most of the second half. DePaul was able to get within four points with 12 minutes left in the game and then down to three points with 45 seconds left on the clock. However, once DePaul entered foul mode, Karima Christmas and Chelsea Gray made seven free throws to secure the victory for Duke.
Women’s NCAA Bracket Update: Duke Holds Off DePaul, Will Face UConn In Elite Eight
Christmas led the Blue Devils with 23 points and nine rebounds. She made three of the team’s 11 steals. Jasmine Thomas had 19 points and distributed the ball for four assists.
Deirdre Naughton scored 17 points for DePaul, 10 coming in the last three minutes of the game. Felicia Chester, Keisha Hampton and Sam Quigley each put 11 points on the board. However, they combined for 15 of the team’s 19 turnovers.
Duke plays No.1 UConn on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET for a spot in the Final Four.
Philadelphia Region
No. 1 Connecticut Huskies def. No. 5 Georgetown Hoyas, 68-63.
No. 2 Duke Blue Devils def. No. 3 DePaul Blue Demons, 70-63.
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