Raleigh, N.C. ? Alana Beard wasn’t about to let Duke fall short of the Final Four.

Beard scored 24 points and Monique Currie added 15 as the top-seeded Blue Devils beat South Carolina 77-68 Monday in the East Regional championship to earn their second trip to the Final Four.

The Blue Devils (31-3), who have won a school-record 22 straight games, advance to San Antonio to face the winner of Monday’s West Regional final  Oklahoma. Duke is returning to the Final Four for the first time since 1999, when they lost to Purdue in the championship game.

Beard was 9-for-12 from the floor, and had seven rebounds, five assists, five steals and two blocks to earn Most Outstanding Player honors.

“She’s an incredible basketball player,” teammate Sheana Mosch said. “She can take over a game when she wants. … She’s awesome, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she could play even better than that.”

Third-seeded South Carolina (25-7) scored the game’s first eight points and rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to take a one-point lead midway through the second half. But the Blue Devils never lost their poise and answered every run.

“I know every last one of these girls here want to win,” Beard said. “Our chemistry is just so strong right now.

“We said, ‘Good teams make runs, but better teams make runs back.”‘

Trailing 35-22 at halftime, the Gamecocks used several zone and trapping defenses to slow Duke’s offense. They scored nine unanswered points to tie the game at 42 and eventually take a 46-45 lead on a layup by Jocelyn Penn with 9:54 to play.

Beard answered Penn’s layup with a three-point play and two free throws for a 50-46 lead with 9:03 left. After a hanging jumper by Currie, Beard found reserve Krista Gingrich on the wing for a three-pointer and a 55-49 lead.

She later found Michelle Matyasovsky rolling to the basket for a layup, hit two free throws and a short jumper in the lane for a 68-59 lead with 3:16 left. South Carolina didn’t get closer than five the rest of the way.

Duke scored on 10 of its next 11 possessions after South Carolina took the lead.

Duke 77, South Carolina 68

SOUTH CAROLINA (25-7)

Geter 5-7 0-0 10, Penn 7-16 0-0 14, Ujhelyi 1-8 0-0 2, Ciocan 5-11 0-0 10, Gortman 6-19 4-6 17, Morrone 4-4 0-0 11, Troina 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 30-68 4-6 68.

DUKE (31-3)

Tillis 3-12 0-0 6, Matyasovsky 5-7 2-2 12, Krapohl 0-1 0-0 0, Beard 9-12 6-8 24, Currie 4-9 7-8 15, Mosch 3-8 1-2 7, Gingrich 3-6 1-2 10, Whitley 1-3 1-2 3. Totals 28-58 18-24 77.

HalftimeÂDuke 35-22. 3-Point goalsÂSouth Carolina 4-10 (Morrone 3-3, Gortman 1-4, Ciocan 0-2, Ujhelyi 0-1), Duke 3-10 (Gingrich 3-5, Beard 0-1, Matyasovsky 0-1, Tillis 0-1, Mosch 0-2). Fouled outÂPenn. ReboundsÂSouth Carolina 36 (Penn 9), Duke 35 (Beard, Tillis 7). AssistsÂSouth Carolina 13 (Ciocan 4), Duke 19 (Beard 5). Total foulsÂSouth Carolina 20, Duke 9. AÂ8,107.