Duke beats DePaul, faces UConn next
Duke guard Jasmine Thomas (5) brings the ball upcourt as DePaul guard Deirdre Naughton (32) defends in the second half of an NCAA women's college basketball tournament regional semifinal in Philadelphia. Duke won 70-63. (March 27, 2011) Credit: AP
PHILADELPHIA -- Duke muddled through to reach the regional final, but the Blue Devils will have to be much better Tuesday night.
Senior Karima Christmas scored a season-high 23 points as the second-seeded Blue Devils held off DePaul, 70-63, Sunday to earn a date with UConn Tuesday.
Duke (32-3) traveled to Hartford on Jan. 31 and got pasted, 87-51, by the Huskies.
"We have to do a bit better job sharing the ball, not turn it over as much," said Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie, whose team had 13 turnovers Sunday. "We know Connecticut is a good team. Our focus at this time of the year is to get better every game, and we need to get better from this game."
Christmas, a senior, had 14 points in the first half as Duke opened a 41-28 lead. Third-seeded DePaul (29-7) pulled within 43-39 in the first seven minutes of the second half but never could overcome Duke's length on the perimeter and size underneath, especially when Blue Demons senior Keisha Hampton fouled out with 6:36 to go and her team down by nine.
Deirdre Naughton led DePaul with 17 points. Hampton had 11.
"My goal was to go right at her, try to get her in foul trouble," Christmas said of her battle with Hampton. "We have to be aggressive. In our last game [a 71-66 win over Marist], we settled for too many jump shots."
Senior guard Jasmine Thomas had 19 but shot only 6-for-17 from the floor. Duke had trouble with DePaul's full-court press in the final three minutes and Naughton twice got the game to a three-point deficit in the last minute. But Chelsea Gray (16 points) made four free throws to seal it.
