GREENSBORO, N.C. — Karima Christmas scored a season-high 20 points to help No. 8 Duke hold off Georgia Tech 74-66 on Saturday in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Christmas came up with two key baskets and assisted on a third during a spurt that helped the Blue Devils (28-3) take control after the Yellow Jackets had cut a 13-point deficit to two with about seven minutes left.
Jasmine Thomas added 12 points for top-seeded Duke, which reached Sunday's championship game for the fourth time in as many tries under Joanne P. McCallie.
It was also Duke's 33rd straight win against fifth-seeded Georgia Tech (23-10), which had upset No. 13 Maryland to reach the semifinals in consecutive years for the first time in program history.
Metra Walthour scored a career-high 20 points and five 3-pointers for the Yellow Jackets, while Tyaunna Marshall added 19 points.
In the only meeting this year, Duke held Georgia Tech to 29 percent shooting in a 69-32 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium. But the Yellow Jackets certainly made the Blue Devils work for this one.
The Blue Devils shot 68 percent (15-for-22) in the opening 20 minutes — their best half of the year — and led 39-29 at the break. But Duke cooled off in the second half, while the Yellow Jackets kept clawing to get back in the game.
They dominated the offensive boards to get 11 second-chance points in the half. Walthour hit her fifth 3, then knocked down three free throws after being fouled on another. Sasha Goodlett scored over Krystal Thomas in the paint to bring the Yellow Jackets within 55-53 with 7:10 to play.
But Christmas rebounded an airball by Thomas to score on a putback that beat the shot clock. Then, after a basket from Haley Peters, Christmas drove past Deja Foster for a left-handed layup that pushed the lead back to 61-53 with 5:06 left.
She also added the press-breaking pass to Krystal Thomass for a layup after a jumper from Marshall, adding to Duke's lead.
Georgia Tech got within four on three separate occasions, but Duke did just enough to hang on. Thomas hit a key jumper with 1:43 left, then Duke twice forced the Yellow Jackets into turnovers while protecting a 70-66 lead in the final minute. Thomas scored on a layup against the press to punctuate the victory with 4.2 seconds left and send Duke back to the championship game.
The Yellow Jackets hung around early by hitting six of their seven 3-pointers in the first half. Walthour hit four of those. She responded to Shay Selby's 3 in the final seconds of the half by banking in a runner from just across midcourt to beat the horn and cut the deficit to 10 at the break.