DURHAM - First of all, Sunday was senior day for Duke's Wanisha Smith. On top of that, her mother was on hand to watch her play for the first time in her college career.

So she couldn't disappoint.

"Couldn't do that," said Smith, whose 16 points -- 10 from the free-throw line -- steadied the 12th-ranked Blue Devils as they overcame a nerve-wracking second-half challenge from Virginia and captured their final home game of the season.

The 78-70 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium marked Duke's 79th consecutive home victory over an unranked opponent and its 14th consecutive over the Cavaliers (20-8, 8-4 ACC).

More importantly, Sunday's contest guaranteed Duke a third-place conference finish. The Blue Devils (21-7,10-3) will play their final regular-season game at No. 2-ranked North Carolina on March 2.

A third-place finish will likely garner the Blue Devils the third seed in the ACC Tournament (March 6-9), and likely remove them from the same side of the bracket as potential top seed North Carolina, which is undefeated in league play.

Virginia entered Sunday's game hoping to gain head-to-head advantage in case the teams finish the season with the same conference record.

After the Blue Devils went into halftime ahead 31-30, the Cavaliers completed an 11-point swing on Lyndra Littles' two converted free throws and led 42-33 with 16 minutes remaining.

Though Duke whittled away at Virginia's lead, the Cavaliers appeared more than capable of an upset until Smith launched her team into attack mode, driving hard into the lane, drawing contact and earning trips to the foul line.

With 6:24 left, Smith hit four free throws to start the Devils on an 11-0 run, one capped by a deep 3-pointer from junior guard Abby Waner, which put her team ahead 68-63.

Freshman guard Jasmine Thomas (12 points, five assists) also made two crucial steals and two layups during the run, but it was Smith's aggressive mind-set that sparked the turnabout.

"They were down and we were about to throw the punch, and she kept us from doing that," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said of Smith.

Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said she loved her team's poise in the face of adversity, especially considering the Devils have fallen short when trying to rally from second-half deficits several times this season.

McCallie, who was pleased with efforts from junior forward Chante Black (22 points, 8 rebounds), praised Smith for following the game plan of attacking and landing on the free-throw line 12 times.

"When she's in attack mode like that it takes pressure off of every other position," McCallie said.

Following the game, the Blue Devils celebrated senior day with the crowd of 6,827, acknowledging the careers of Smith, a native of Upper Marlboro, Md., and Emily Waner, a native of Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Both received pleasant applause, flowers and commemorative basketballs. Supporters snapped pictures and reveled in the moment as the two players were walked out by parents.

Waner spent the game on the bench in street clothes. Duke announced on Feb. 10 that she would take a leave of absence. On Feb. 17, coach McCallie announced Waner, who this season had averaged 1.8 points and 1.6 assists in 18 games, would return to the team in a supportive role, but would not play.

McCallie said Waner talked with her and assistant coach Shannon Perry at 2:45 a.m. after the Feb. 7 Boston College game about taking the leave. A week later, she said, Waner talked with her about supporting the team from the bench.

McCallie said Waner made a mature decision during a difficult time and said the decision to support and not to distract the team was "brilliant leadership."

"All I can tell you, Emily's choice has a whole lot to do with her life and not basketball," McCallie said on Thursday. "She's a motivated, outstanding student athlete who is trying to work on this pre-med and so forth."

Waner, who called Sunday a "special day," declined to comment about why she took a leave of absence, though she said she intends to support her teammates. Her sister Abby joined the Devils a year after Emily transferred from Colorado.

"That's why I'm there," Emily Waner said. "It's for the girls, and only the girls. I really support them and I love them. They've been a huge part of my life."