Duke 65, Utah 54

RALEIGH, N.C., March 25 (UPI) -- Alana Beard scored a game-high 27 points and Iciss Tillis recorded a double-double as top-seeded Duke defeated eighth-seeded Utah, 65-54, Tuesday night in the second round of the women's NCAA Midwest Regional.

Beard was 10-of-12 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line for the Blue Devils (33-1), who earned their sixth consecutive trip - and third straight as the No. 1 seed - to the "Sweet 16".

Duke improved to 22-9 in NCAA tournament play and will face fifth-seeded Georgia in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday.

Tillis scored 12 points and pulled down 10 boards for her 10th double-double this season and the 21st of her three-year career for Duke, which held a 33-25 halftime lead, improving to 28-0 this year when leading at intermission.

Freshman Jessica Foley added 11 points off the bench for the Blue Devils, who posted an 11-2 run in the second half and held the Utes without a field goal for nearly seven-plus minutes until a basket made it 66-44 with 6:44 left.

Freshman Kim Smith, who scored a career-high 35 points in her team's first-round win over DePaul, had 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting and Shona Thorburn added 12 as Utah (24-7) failed to make their second-ever "Sweet 16" appearance.