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GREENSBORO, N.C. — Georgia Amoore scored 24 points on six 3-pointers, and No. 8 Virginia Tech advanced to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game for the first time in program history with a 58-37 victory over No. 13 Duke on Saturday.
Amoore finished 9 of 16 from the field, including 6 of 8 from beyond the arc, to go along with seven assists and five rebounds.
ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley added eight points and 11 rebounds for the Hokies, who won their 10th straight game.
Virginia Tech (26-4) will face unranked Louisville, which knocked off top-seeded and No. 10 ranked Notre Dame 64-38 in the other semifinal Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Hokies and Cardinals will play at 1 p.m. on ESPN.
Elizabeth Balogun had nine points for Duke (25-6).
The Hokies haven’t lost since falling 66-55 at Duke on Jan. 29, a defeat they avenged with a 16-point victory over the Blue Devils in mid-February.
Virginia Tech, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, blew open a close game with a 17-0 run to close the second quarter, giving it a 36-18 halftime lead behind Amoore’s hot shooting. The Hokies made 7 of 9 shots from beyond the arc in the first two quarters — including a 4-for-4 effort from Amoore.
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Duke never got back to within single digits in the second half. Kitley made it a 20-point game in the fourth quarter when she scored on a layup after a Duke turnover in the backcourt.
The Blue Devils, led by Kennedy Brown, did a nice job defending Kitley for the most part, holding her to 4-of-10 shooting.
Duke forced 20 Virginia Tech turnovers, but shot just 27% from the field and went 1 of 15 from 3-point range.
Big picture
Virginia Tech: The Hokies are on a serious roll and can secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a win Sunday. They may not have done enough to earn a No. 1 seed, but it’s hard to imagine them falling lower than a 2 seed at this point, providing they don’t falter against Louisville. Either way, this is a team to watch in March.
Duke: The Blue Devils play good defense — at times great defense — but that won’t be enough if they want to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. Duke, which scored only 44 points in its quarterfinal win over North Carolina, needs to find a go-to scorer.
Up next
Virginia Tech: Faces fourth-seeded Louisville in the ACC title game on Sunday.
Duke: Awaits NCAA Tournament seeding.