ACC TOURNAMENT LIVE BLOG (Final): Duke 81 - North Carolina 66

FINAL - Duke 81, North Carolina 66:

Down to 53-54 to the Tar Heels with 9:28 remaining, the Blue Devils closed the game on an unbelievable 27-12 run to win the ACC Tournament Championship. As the confetti flies across the Greensboro Coliseum, the Blue Devils are champions, and deservedly so.

John Swofford, commissioner of the ACC, is on hand to present the Blue Devils with the ACC Tournament Championship trophy, and present each team member with a plaque commemorating the event. As Jasmine Thomas received her award, Swofford held the senior star, giving Thomas some words of encouragement.

As the All-Tournament teams are announced, Chelsea Gray was named to the All-Second team. Jasmine Thomas, and Karima Christmas were named to the First-Team, and Thomas was also named the ACC Tournament MVP.

2:35 2nd Half: Duke 72, North Carolina 56:

Jasmine Thomas has put the dagger to the Tar Heels, Chay Shegog's error has all but clinched the game for Duke. With the shot clock winding down to zero and Thomas looking for a shot on the perimeter, the senior launched a three from just in front of the Blue Devil bench just as Shegog fouled Haley Peters away from the ball. Shegog was whistled for the offense, and Thomas's shot dropped, giving Duke a five-point play.

4:02 2nd Half: Duke 66, North Carolina 54:

McCallie has Jasmine Thomas on the bench to prepare her for the stretch run, but the Blue Devils have executed the offense well even with their starting point guard off the floor. Chloe Wells's dish to Krystal Thomas after penetrating the lane, and Thomas's subsequent finish off the glass has Duke up three.

10:37 2nd Half: Duke 51, North Carolina 51:

North Carolina has asserted itself in this half, and all indications point towards the ACC Tournament Championship being decided in the waning minutes. The crowd is alive and momentum is up for grabs after a lengthy media timeout. Kathleen Scheer makes her first appearance in the game, joining Christmas, Wells, Jasmine Thomas and Vernerey.

12:20 2nd Half: Duke 49, North Carolina 49:

Consecutive baskets from Jessica Breland have tied the game with 12 minutes remaining. The second, a easy fast break layup, came off a turnover by Shay Selby, who has looked a bit shaky with the ball in her hands today. At the next dead ball, McCallie immediately switched her lineup, bringing on Richa Jackson and Chloe Wells.

15:45 2nd Half: Duke 45, North Carolina 43:

North Carolina has cut the Duke lead, courtesy of an Italee Lucas trey. The Blue Devil defense hasn't been able to bother the Tar Heel shooters consistently, and North Carolina's success in and around the paint has the team hanging around. Vernerey continues to be a force on both ends, and now has 10 points on the day to go along with her two blocks.

Halftime: Duke 37, North Carolina 32:

A long 3-pointer from Jasmine Thomas and another bucket in the paint for Allison Vernerey enabled Duke to close the half on a 5-0 run, giving the Blue Devils a bit of breathing room to start the second period. Thomas has been sensational all game, leading all scorers with 12 points.

STATS OF THE HALF:

Vernerey 4-for-5 from the field for eight points.

Turnovers: North Carolina 12, Duke 8.

2:13 1st Half: Duke 30, North Carolina 29:

Allison Vernerey is getting better and better with each game she plays. After closing out on Jessica Breland defensively to force the miss, Vernerey ran the length of the court at a sprint, and earned an easy transition layup for the Blue Devils after Chelsea Gray found Vernerey unguarded.

5:08 1st Half: Duke 24, North Carolina 22:

North Carolina has made a bit of a run and is starting to even the momentum behind buckets from She'la White and Lucas. The Tar Heels are in foul trouble already, however, with nine team fouls to Duke's three. Starter Krista Gross has three fouls herself, and will likely spend the rest of the half on the bench.

8:48 1st Half: Duke 22, North Carolina 18:

It looks as if Christmas's sleeve, or just the residual effects of her fall, may be effecting her shooting touch. In Christmas's first shot back on the floor--a wide open 3-pointer-- she badly missed, shooting the ball a full foot past the rim. She can still finish from up close however, as the senior picked up an offensive board and used the glass to finish from underneath the basket.

11:04 1st Half: Duke 19, North Carolina 18:

With Christmas on the bench, Jasmine Thomas has started to look for shots herself. She connected on a contested three with a defender right in her face, but Duke hasn't been able to get defensive stops, and is simply trading baskets with the Tar Heels right now.

Trainers have given Karima Christmas an arm sleeve to cover her right elbow (think Allen Iverson), and the senior has returned to the floor.

14:47 1st Half: Duke 10, North Carolina 8:

Karima Christmas was undercut while jumping for an offensive rebound and fell hard to the floor, landing square on her back. Christmas remained lying on the floor for a few moments as the training staff evaluated her, but was able to walk off the court under her own power, with head coach Joanne P. McCallie holding her hand. Christmas is now being attended to on the bench, but has not gone back to the locker room.

15:33 1st Half: Duke 10, North Carolina 8:

It's been a bright start for both teams, as both North Carolina and Duke have started off hot from the field. Two 3-pointers on consecutive possessions for Duke by Karima Christmas and Shay Selby have given Duke an early lead, but it's been the outstanding play in the post by both Allison Vernerey and Krystal Thomas that has been the story so far. Vernerey, who has drawn a tough defensive assignment in Jessica Breland, has played outstanding defense thus far. Breland has been able to hit a few contested shots already, but Vernerey has been in Breland's face every trip down the floor.

Starting Lineups:

For Duke: Jasmine Thomas, Shay Selby, Krystal Thomas, Allison Vernerey, Karima Christmas.

For North Carolina: Italee Lucas, Chay Shegog, Cetera DeGraffenreid, Krista Gross, Jessica Breland.

There's a great crowd on hand for the final, this has all the makings of a classic game.

Pregame: It's Tournament final time here in Greensboro, as rivals Duke and North Carolina will battle for the ACC Tournament Championship. The No. 1 seeded Blue Devils (28-3) come into today's matchup having beaten Wake Forest and Georgia Tech in the previous two rounds, while the Tar Heels had a much tougher road to the final, beating Florida State Friday and Miami yesterday. This will mark the third time Duke and North Carolina have met this season, with each team having won at home. The two teams played just seven days ago in Durham, with the Blue Devils prevailing 66-58 behind 17 points from senior Jasmine Thomas.

Duke will be concerned with the Tar Heel duo of Jessica Breland and Italee Lucas, however, who have carried North Carolina past two tough opponents. Breland was "unreal" yesterday in the words of Tar Heel coach Sylvia Hatchell, and torched Miami for 28 points and 10 rebounds.

The Blue Devils are also not 100 percent healthy, after two physical games earlier in the tournament left them bruised. Jasmine Thomas suffered a knee injury Friday against Wake Forest that forced her to wear a knee brace yesterday. Senior Karima Christmas, who led Duke past a pesky Yellow Jackets squad, was routinely knocked to the ground, and even had to exit the game twice as a result of hard falls.

Check back soon for the starting lineups.