Duke Blue Devils
IN PHOTO: Mar 29, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Justise Winslow (12) and bench players celebrate after a basket against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half in the finals of the south regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at NRG Stadium. REUTERS/Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs, 66-52 in the Elite Eight round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament and advanced to the semi-final, their 16th Final Four appearance in their school’s history.

Duke led 36-31 at halftime and pulled away in the second half led by forward Justise Winslow’s 16 points and 5 rebounds and guard Matt Jones’ 16 points and 3 steals. Tyus Jones had 15 points, 6 assists and 2 steals while Quinn Cook added 10 points and 5 rebounds. The Blue Devils outscored the Bulldogs, 36-25 in the second half.

Duke advanced to the Final Four in this March Madness and will face the seventh seed Michigan State Spartans, which beat the Louisville Cardinals, 76-70 also on Sunday. The win gave Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski his 12th appearance in a Final Four for the 12th time to match legendary coach John Wooden’s total appearances in the national semi-final.

"This is a magical moment for us, but we played a magical team in Gonzaga," Krzyzewski said to ESPN.com after the win. Gonzaga, which was seeded second in the South Region, was playing in their 17th consecutive NCAA Tournament and once again failed in their bid for a Final Four spot.

Duke only had 3 turnovers for the entire game, thus far the lowest in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga had 13 turnovers and made just 2 three-pointers in 10 attempts. Duke also had 8 steals to Gonzaga’s 1.

In the other Final Four match-up, top seed Kentucky Wildcats will meet the Wisconsin Badgers. The Final Four games are scheduled on Saturday, April 4, 2015.

Email j.gloria@IBTimes.com.au to contact author.

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