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GREENSBORO Tierra Ruffin-Pratt scored 19 points to help No. 15 North Carolina beat Boston College 62-57 in the ACC tournament quarterfinals Friday night.
Waltiea Rolle added 10 for the third-seeded Tar Heels (27-5), who advanced to Saturday’s semifinals to face 10th-ranked and second-seeded Maryland.
Nicole Boudreau scored 15 for the Eagles (12-19), the second No. 11 seed to win a tournament game with its upset of sixth-seeded Virginia in Thursday’s first round.
UNC won both regular-season meetings by 28 points apiece, but this one stayed tight throughout. The Tar Heels led 54-53 with 3 1/2 minutes left before Ruffin-Pratt scored six points – including when she muscled up a drive over Kristen Doherty with 38.7 seconds left – to help UNC finally stretch its lead.
No. 6 Duke 79, N.C. State 65: Kellie Harper and N.C. State are leaving this ACC tournament without pulling any shockers. The Wolfpack – who sprung at least one upset under Harper in each of the past three ACC tournaments – didn’t get one this year after No. 6 Duke rallied to beat them.
Eighth-seeded N.C. State (16-16) was in position to upset the top-seeded Blue Devils for the second straight year when Marissa Kastanek hit a layup with 7 minutes left to put the Wolfpack up 57-53.
But Duke outscored them 24-5 during the next 6-plus minutes, with Tricia Liston doing most of the damage.
No. 10 Maryland 92, Wake Forest 81, OT: Alyssa Thomas had the first triple-double in ACC tournament history, and Maryland beat Wake Forest in overtime.
Thomas had a career-high 32 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
No. 23 Florida State 70, Miami 58: Alexa Deluzio scored 11 of her 19 points in the final six minutes to lead Florida State past Miami.
Chelsea Davis added 15 points for fourth-seeded FSU (22-8).
Notebook
Clemson: The Tigers fired coach Itoro Coleman on Friday after the Tigers’ former point guard failed to return the team to the top of the ACC in her three-year tenure.
