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By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – Alana Beard overcame a miserable shooting nightby scoring eight straight points in a late 12-4 run and No. 1 Duke won its 48thconsecutive ACC game, beating Virginia 63-52 Sunday night.
Beard made only three of her first 15 shots, but she made three in a row andadded two free throws as the Blue Devils (14-1, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference)turned a tie game into a 53-45 lead with 3:38 left.
The Cavaliers (8-8, 2-3) fell to 1-8 in their history against the No. 1 teamand came up short against the Blue Devils for the second straight year atUniversity Hall. Last year, Beard scored 41 points and her free throws witheight-tenths on a second left gave Duke a 60-59 win.
Beard was nowhere near as dominant this time, but found her game when theBlue Devils needed it. She made a layup to give them a 45-41 lead and added twofree throws, a drive and a putback in the next 90 seconds.
After Tiffany Sardin’s jumper and two free throws closed the gap to 53-49for Virginia, Lindsey Harding drove the length of the court for a layup andBeard’s two free throws essentially sealed the victory.
Duke hasn’t lost in league play since a 69-55 setback at North CarolinaState on Feb. 18, 2001. The winning streak has obliterated the old ACC women’sstandard – 22 in a row by Virginia in 1992-93 and 1993-94.
Beard finished with 24 points and Monique Currie and Mistie Bass had 10 eachfor Duke. Beard also had six rebounds and four blocks.
LaTonya Blue led Virginia with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists.Sardin, Kate Kreager and Anna Prillaman each scored eight.
Virginia turned the ball over 24 times, leading to 23 Duke points.
The Cavaliers were playing for the third straight game without scoringleader Brandi Teamer, who is suspended for unspecified reasons.