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GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Oluchi Okananwa had 14 points off the bench and Ashlon Jackson scored 12 to help No. 11 Duke beat No. 6 Notre Dame 61-56 in the ACC Tournament semifinals on Saturday.
Duke (25-7) will meet No. 7 N.C. State, the top seed, in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game on Sunday. It’s the Blue Devils’ first time playing in that game in eight years. N.C. State beat No. 14 North Carolina 66-55 in the first semifinal matchup.
Hannah Hidalgo had 14 of her 23 points in the first half and Olivia Miles had 10 points for second-seeded Notre Dame (26-5).
Notre Dame was held to 25 second-half points.
Duke: The Blue Devils avenged a regular-season loss for the second day in a row after topping Louisville on Friday. This outcome came despite committing 21 turnovers. Okananwa didn’t miss a shot, going 3 for 3 with two 3-pointers and 6 for 6 on free throws.
Notre Dame: The Irish have made a recent habit of falling behind and, unlike in the quarterfinal against California, they couldn’t muster a comeback. Ranked No. 1 less than two weeks ago, they’ve lost three of their last five games.
Duke scored the last six points of the third quarter for a 47-42 lead as the Irish didn’t score for three-plus minutes. The first points of the fourth quarter came on Okananwa’s 3-pointer.
Notre Dame made only 3 of 15 attempts on 3-pointers.
Notre Dame awaits the NCAA Tournament selections as a probable first- and second-round host.
