“We fought and took their best shot,” Currie said.

Willnett Crockett got the Huskies within a bucket when she converted a three-point play with 45.9 seconds left. The Huskies got the ball back after their defense stymied the Blue Devils into a shot clock violation and had one last chance to at least tie it.

Charde Houston got the ball on the wing for UConn, and with Currie closely defending her drove into the post. Currie slipped and fell and Houston had an open 6-footer that rimmed out. Currie came down with the rebound as time expired.

Crockett and Montgomery finished with 15 points for UConn.

Currie finished with 14 points and nine boards, but shot just 3-for-12.

“They switched up defenses, and when I drove there were a lot of players waiting there for me,” she said. “I was just hoping my teammates would pull us through and they did.”

Duke missed its first nine shots of the game, while UConn struck quickly. Crockett scored on two straight backdoor cuts, slipping in behind Bales and Mistie Williams.

But then the Blue Devils began to flex their inside game. Bales had four blocks over the next six minutes and changed nearly as many shots. While Bales handled the inside, the Blue Devils got back into the game with their outside game.

“I was a little frustrated,” Bales said. “But coach did a good job of telling me not to worry about it. The rest of the game I did exactly what she told me and it worked.”

Currie and Abby Waner hit consecutive 3s to get Duke on a 17-7 run. The Blue Devils led by as many as six down the stretch and had a 31-26 lead at the break.

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