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By Rob Clough
Parsing The Week's Results: Duke won its fourth straight ACC regular season title by knocking off two ranked opponents without Chelsea Gray (see below). Few of the other teams did themselves any favors with regard to getting to the postseason and thriving in it. Florida State lost twice, Virginia lost to Clemson and Miami lost to Georgia Tech (see below). On the other hand, UNC won twice to pull into a tie with Maryland. Their first win was an easy game against Virginia Tech, but they had to work hard to come from behind against NC State. Thanks to Tierra Ruffin-Pratt and Waltiea Rolle, the Heels were able to make a lot of key defensive plays as they once again won a close game. That game was a second consecutive tough loss for the Wolfpack, whose season is quickly slipping away. Miami won a close battle with the Pack, nearly coughing up a 17 point lead before Pepper Wilson saved the day with two late baskets. Wilson earned a double-double for her efforts. For State, it was yet another example of poor focus putting them in a hole, the team rallying and ultimately falling short. It's the story of their season and has been the difference between an NCAA berth and the losing record they possess. Still, this is a dangerous team to face in an elimination situation. Boston College's short bench is really starting to catch up with it. Alyssa Thomas of Maryland pounded them to the tune of 30 points, and then Clemson hit some key late shots after the Eagles had rallied. Their shooters still give them a puncher's chance of pulling an ACC tournament upset, but this is a team that's mostly running on fumes at this point. The most exciting game of the week was the last one: Wake Forest's overtime win over Virginia, a game that was neck and neck for most of the game. The Hoos got three cracks at the basket at the end of regulation but couldn't get it done. A Lakevia Boykin trey with 23 seconds in overtime clinched the game for the Deacs. The poor Hoos continue to play with a limited lineup as they stumble toward a WNIT berth -- but at this point even that's not a certainty. Best Win: Georgia Tech 66, Miami 64. Behind an ACC season-high 37 points from Ty Marshall, the Jackets finished on a 21-4 run to nip Miami. Georgia Tech has had a truly bizarre season, but they've been a tough out in the back half of the ACC schedule. They haven't always been able to finish games or protect leads (see: UNC game), but Marshall's emergence has made them a team to reckon with. Indeed, they're just a game under .500 and are looking like a possible WNIT team. Certainly, this group will be difficult to play in the ACC tournament. The also easily dispatched Wake Forest as Marshall had 27 points and 10 rebounds. There's no question that she's the hottest player in the league at the moment. Worst Loss: Clemson 64, Virginia 62. The Hoos held an 11 point lead in the second half and coughed it up against a poor-shooting Tiger club that nonetheless made some big shots down the stretch. The loss essentially ended any chance Virginia had at an NCAA bid, short of a miracle ACC tournament run. Without starters Kelsey Wolfe (out with a torn ACL) and Telia McCall, the Hoos didn't have much of a chance to make an impact there anyway. Trending Up: Duke. The Devils clinched their 12th regular season title by beating Maryland just two days after beating FSU in a tight game at home. Duke looked a bit lost at times without injured guard Chelsea Gray against the Noles, but frosh Alexis Jones led her team confidently in the second half of that game and then did the same in College Park. We'll see if Duke can get past the emotion of this weekend to take care of business in the final week of the season. Trending Down: Florida State. After picking up a major win against UNC, the Noles came undone on the road. Duke gave them an open invitation to beat them in the first half of their game, but FSU just wouldn't accept it, and the Devils went on a big run in the second half to put them away. What happened against Virginia Tech, one of the worst teams in the ACC, is harder to explain. Monet Tellier and Ugu Ugoka combined for nearly 50 points, VT broke out to an early double-digit lead and never relented. Coach Sue Semrau noted that her team let its lack of offense dictate its defensive effort, and that it got satisfied after winning 20 games. If they're going to get to 21 wins, they'll need to pick up their effort. But at least they now have wing Chasity Clayton back. Surprise Player Of The Week: Aisha Turner, Clemson. The rookie point guard averaged 11 ppg, 4 rpg, 4 apg and 4 spg in Clemson's wins over Virginia and Boston College. She's had to endure a rocky freshman year, but her excellent quickness and decent jump shot have started to emerge as real weapons for the Tigers. Stat Of the Week: Duke won their 12th regular season ACC title, which moves them ahead of Virginia for most titles in league history. Virginia still has the most outright tiles at ten, while the Blue Devils have nine. NC State and Maryland have five apiece, UNC has four, FSU has two and Miami and Clemson have one each. Note that FSU shared both of its titles, Miami shared its one title, Maryland shared two titles, Virginia and UNC shared one title apiece, and Duke has shared three. Maryland leads with ten ACC tournament titles, UNC has nine, Duke has seven, NC State has four, Virginia has three, and Clemson has two. No team aside from Duke, UNC and Maryland has won the tournament since 1999. Three Games To Watch (2/28 -3/4/2013):
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Georgia Tech's Ty Marshall
Clemson's Aisha Turner
Duke's Alexis Jones
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