Be-Deviled: Duke Eliminates OSU From Tournament

What a difference a half makes.

The Oklahoma State Cowgirls were unable to keep the momentum from a 13-point halftime lead against second-seeded Duke as the Blue Devils rallied to beat OSU 68-59 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Cowgirls had everything going their way in the opening half and it appeared to be more of the same at the beginning of the second when OSU sank a shot to claim a 47-23 lead.

Oklahoma State's 15-point lead was the largest deficit Duke has faced all season.

But Duke had an answer.

The Blue Devils switched to a full-court press and a base zone defense that befuddled the Cowgirls and led to a bevy of turnovers resulting in a 12-0 Duke run.

The run got the Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd rocking and the Cowgirls could never shake it. OSU committed just five turnovers in the first half but the miscues proved to be the story of the game.

The suffocating Duke defense forced OSU into 16 second-half turnovers, leading to a 47-23 scoring advantage for the Devils, who reached the Sweet 16 for the 15th time in 16 years.

Duke's Elizabeth Williams had 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Haley Peters added 15 points and 13 boards. Tricia Liston and Chloe Wells each scored 13 as Duke (32-2) advances to play sixth-seeded Nebraska on the Norfolk Regional on Sunday.

Liz Donohoe had 14 points to lead OSU (22-11). Brittany Martin had 13 points and Toni Young added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Cowgirls.

The Cowgirls just missed out on what would have been the third Sweet 16 trip in school history and the first since 2008.