Blue Devils

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Duke was in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. Now the Blue Devils are the hottest team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. --------------------------------------------------------------- RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Duke was in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. Now the Blue Devils are the hottest team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Haley Gorecki scored 13 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter to help Duke beat No. 8 North Carolina State 70-65 on Monday night. Onome Akinbode-James added 12 factors and Kyra Lambert had 11 for the Blue Devils (17-10, 11-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their sixth consecutive game. Duke has won 10 of 12 video game since starting 1-3 in conference play. ''What you're seeing right now is how we are as a group,'' Gorecki said. ''We knew what our potential is. Everything is usually clicking, and everybody is doing their On Sale job and their role.'' Leaonna Odom had 10 points as Duke won at N.C. Condition for the first time since 2013. The Blue Devils Custom Rhinestone Diamond Acrylic Crystal Sticker never trailed, holding on after N.C. State cut their 11-point lead in the next quarter to 31-30 at halftime. Duke scored on its first four possessions of the third quarter and extended the lead to 62-52 on a three-point play by Gorecki with 3:17 remaining in the game. After the Wolfpack pulled within 66-63, Gorecki made a driving layup with 19.4 seconds left. ''I loved our poise and composure down the stretch,'' Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said. Elissa Cunane had 23 factors and 12 rebounds to lead N.C. Condition (23-4, 12-4), which suffered its third loss in four games. Jada Boyd added 15 points for the Wolfpack. N.C. State made 6 of 24 3-point attempts, shooting below 30% from 3-stage range for the fifth consecutive game, and was outscored 23-2 in factors off turnovers. ''These past couple of games have kind of hit us in the mouth,'' Cunane said. BIG PICTURE Duke: The Blue Devils are trending in the right direction as the regular season nears its end. They added their second win over a ranked opponent in the last two weeks, taking over sole possession of third place in the league and bolstering their resume for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth. ''We've all continued to push,'' Akinbode-James stated. ''We want to be in a certain place at a particular time of year, and we've had this little surge lately because everyone is contributing.'' N.C. Condition: It's now fair to characterize the Wolfpack's recent struggles as more than a blip. Two weeks ago, they were riding high with a 22-1 record and a No. 4 national ranking. Right now, after three consecutive home losses, they appear to be limping toward the Sub Block iron on transfers finish line. ''Duke has got three seniors in that starting lineup who realize that it's now or by no means,'' Customized Waterproof Self-Adhesive label OEM logo printing stickers N.C. State trainer Wes Moore said. ''We maybe have some young players out there who don't get that yet. And it's hurting us because this time of year everything is turned up a notch or two.'' STAR WATCH Cunane was dominant, just because she was when she had 27 points in the Wolfpack's 63-60 victory at Duke on Feb. 2. She produced 8 of 10 shots from the floor, missing only two desperation 3-pointers late, and converted all six of her free throws. She is right now 16 of 19 from the ground and 17 of 19 on free throws against the Blue Devils this season.