GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Shayeann Day-Wilson scored 22 points, hitting one of several critical baskets down the stretch, and 10th-seeded Duke edged 15th-seeded Pittsburgh 55-52 on Wednesday in a first-round game of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Destiny Strother's tying 3-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer.
The Blue Devils only made four 3-pointers but two came in the fourth quarter, including one by Day-Wilson, the ACC Freshman of the Year, at the 1:10 mark to push the lead to 53-49. Then Elizabeth Balogun hit a step-back bucket at the shot-clock buzzer to make it 55-51 with 21.5 seconds to go.
Twice in the last 1 1/2 minutes Pitt went to the line but only made 1 of 2 free throws. Duke missed a pair with six seconds left, giving Pitt, which led by 16 points in the second quarter, one last chance.
Duke (17-12) faces seventh-seeded Miami in the second round on Thursday.
Celeste Taylor added 11 points for the Blue Devils.
Liatu King scored 13 points for Pittsburgh (11-19), which dropped its 10th straight game, and Dayshanette Harris added 11.
A 10-0 run in the first quarter helped the Panthers take a 20-9 lead. Harris' 3-pointer made it 28-12 in the second quarter but a 10-3 finish allowed Duke to pull within 31-22 at the half.
An 8-0 Duke run to close the third quarter cut the Pitt lead to 40-39. Day-Wilson's basket with 1:47 to play gave Duke a 50-48 lead. That's when Pitt only made 1 of 2 from the line.
Free throws were a problem all game as the Panthers finished 6 of 17, including 4 of 9 in the fourth quarter. Duke also struggled, going 13 of 22.
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