Duke falls hard to Moore, UConn in second half

Duke put up a pretty good fight for nearly a half, but once again Maya Moore and Connecticut were just too much.

Moore finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high seven steals, leading the top-ranked and two-time defending NCAA Women’s Champion Huskies to a 75-40 romp over the No. 6 Blue Devils in the championship game of the Philadelphia Regional.

Connecticut (36-1) advanced to a Final Four game against Notre Dame on Sunday in Indianapolis, while the Blue Devils finished 32-4.

Connecticut had won the teams’ regular-season meeting 87-51 on Jan. 31 in Storrs. This time Duke trailed only 30-20 at halftime, but the Huskies turned it into a blowout in the second half.

Jasmine Thomas, the second-team All-American playing in her final game as a Blue Devil, finished with 17 points. Senior forward Karima Christmas added six points and Shay Selby six for Duke.