Shortly after, three consecutive scores by MSU the Spartans had a 14-11 advantage, with 11:46 to play in the half. Freshman forward Nick Ward converted on back-to-back possessions, including a fastbreak dunk, and fifth-year senior guard Eron Harris capped off the run, forcing Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski to take a timeout.

With just less than 10 minutes to play in the half, MSU was unable to capitalize on three-straight turnovers by Duke, allowing the Blue Devils to tie the game at 15 apiece, and again 17-17 with 8:55 in the half.

The two teams remained in gridlock for most of the half, however, Duke was finding a rhythm as the first half was winding down, having made 4-of-6 field goal attempts with 3:03 to play, including 3-point shots to give the Blue Devils a 31-29 lead. In that span, MSU was 0-for-4 in field goal attempts.

With under two minutes in the half, Harris was able to tie the game 31-31, and a layup by Bridges temporarily gave MSU a lead, Duke quickly responded. Freshman guard Cassius Winston for MSU answered the retaliation with a right-hand hook layup with 15 seconds left in the half, forcing Krzyzewski to take another timeout. Duke was unable to respond on the last drive of the half, and the two teams remained tied 35-35.

At the end of the half, MSU had converted over 50 percent of their shots from the floor, going 16-for-31, and 2-for-7 from three point range. Duke had converted 15-of-33 field goals, 2-of-11 from behind the arc. 

MSU foul trouble from the paint resulted in three points from the free throw line for Duke, with senior guard Alvin Ellis III, freshman guard Josh Langford and sophomore guard Matt McQuaid all with two fouls.

Stay with The State News throughout the night as the game develops. For up-to-date coverage, you can follow us on Twitter, along with basketball writers Casey Harrison (@CHarrisonTSN) and Connor Clark (@ccBirdman27), or follow along with our live blog.