03/07/2010 - Michael Tomko, GoDuke.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The third time was the charm for head coach Joanne P. McCallie as her top-seeded Blue Devils claimed Duke's sixth ACC Tournament Championship Sunday afternoon from the Greensboro Coliseum.

McCallie claimed her first ACC Tournament Championship over sixth-seeded N.C. State, 70-60, after reaching the finals in each of her first two seasons.

"It is kind of like the appetizer before the big meal [NCAA Tournament], and it is a very, very good appetizer," McCallie said.

It is the sixth ACC Tournament Championship for the Blue Devils in eleven Championship appearances. Duke won five straight from 2000-2004, but had lost their last three title games prior to this afternoon.

"We worked so hard," senior Joy Cheek said. "I think coming into this year we had this goal... Three of us have seen us go through the ACC Tournament Championship and come up short, and those balloons and streamers we had to watch fall down for someone else. We didn't want to see that happen again."

In 2001, the Blue Devils met the Wolfpack for the first time in the title game defeating N.C. State 57-45 to claim the schools second championship.

With Sunday's win, McCallie became the first Division I coach to win four different conference championships - North Atlantic (1995, 1996), America East (1997, 1998), Big Ten (2005) and ACC (2010).

"It is extremely special to be coaching these women," McCallie said. "They are really incredible people as role models. I guess for me as a coach, coaching is the business of working with and developing people. I have been extremely fortunate, but I don't know if I have ever been so fortunate to be at a place where these women are so bright and so eager and so wanting to do things and so smart about things overall."

Just like their quarterfinal and semifinal wins the Blue Devils were tested early. The Wolfpack jumped out to a 9-2 lead on the Blue Devils.

Duke, just like it demonstrated in its previous two wins, proved that an early lead doesn't generate to success late.

"I am obviously very proud of our team," McCallie said. "Their effort, their fight throughout this tournament, we have had three terrific basketball games. All three reflect an NCAA type of environment in terms of the physicality and the urgency it takes to be successful."

The Blue Devils turned the tables on the Wolfpack after the first media timeout, using their stifling full court press to stymie the Wolfpack offense. N.C. State began to settle for outside jumpers early in the shot clock, resulting in long rebounds for the Blue Devils that allowed them to push the tempo.

Duke put together a 14-0 run by attacking the basket, grabbing offensive rebounds and connecting from the free throw line.

The Blue Devils were up by as many as 11 points in the first half with the Wolfpack continuing to hoist contested 3's without much success. The Wolfpack shot 4-of-13 (.308) from three in the first half, while the Blue Devils were much more efficient from beyond the arc, connecting on 3-of-7 (.429).

Duke smashed the Wolfpack on the offensive glass, outrebounding N.C. State 13-3 on the offensive end in the first half and finishing with a 19-9 advantage for the game.

"We got so many offensive rebounds because we were thinking attack, attack the basket," senior Bridgette Mitchell said. "We wanted to get more than one shot, and I think we did a good job of that by the number of offensive rebounds we had."

Duke won the battle of the boards over the Wolfpack 46-32 for the game with 14 second chance points.

"It was awfully nice to dominate the boards like we did," McCallie said. "That is a good message for our team to understand. If you dominate the boards you can do pretty much just about anything."

Jasmine Thomas led the Duke attack with 18 points, including three 3's. She also added six rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Karima Christmas and Cheek both scored in double-figures, with Christmas finishing with 13 and Cheek 11.

The Blue Devils pushed the lead to as many as 18 in the second half. The Wolfpack kept fighting back though, getting to within nine with 2:57 remaining. But a thirty-second time out from Coach P helped regain Duke's composure.

Senior Keturah Jackson came out of the timeout and scored on a driving layup. As she headed back up the court she starred at her teammates on the bench to reassure them that this one is not slipping away.

"To have the opportunity to be here again, and after having lost those three years, it was just now or never," Mitchell said.