Top seeded Duke roared into the final eight of the NCAA collegiate basketball tournament but the dreams of Northern Iowa and Saint Mary's ended on Friday.
Duke, the No. 1 seed in the South Regional, turned back fourth seed Purdue 70-57 behind strong defensive play and Kyle Singler's 24 points to make it past the regional semi-finals for the first time in six years.
"Our execution in the second half was terrific," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters. "All three of my perimeter guys came up with big, big baskets and free throws."
Jon Scheyer added 18 points and Nolan Smith had 15 for the Blue Devils, who led by a point at intermission but out-scored Purdue 46-34 in the second half.
Duke will play third-seeded Baylor on Sunday for a berth in the national semi-finals scheduled for April 3 in Indianapolis. The national championship game will be played on April 5 in the same city.
It would be the Blue Devils' first visit to the national semi-finals, called the Final Four, since 2004. Duke won national championships in 1991, 1992 and 2001.
Baylor ended Saint Mary's dream season with a 72-49 victory.
Tenth-seeded Saint Mary's, a team with five Australians on their roster, had been one of the stories of the tournament after they eliminated Villanova, the region's second seed, last weekend.
LaceDarius Dunn led Baylor with 23 points with Australian Ben Allen leading Saint Mary's with 16.Ninth seeded Northern Iowa lost to fifth seeds Michigan State 59-52 in the Midwest Regional when they failed to score a field goal in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Michigan State, who were helped by 19 points from Durrell Summers, will play Tennessee for the Midwest Regional title next weekend.
Tennessee, the region's sixth-seed, produced the only upset of Friday with a 76-72 victory over second-seeded Ohio State.
Wayne Chism's 22 points and 11 rebounds helped Tennessee overcome Ohio State, who had held a 42-39 halftime lead.
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