Friday, March 29, 2024

Devils' night

Duke wins after 'U' late free throws fall short in neck-and-neck game

Junior center Paul Davis puts a shot up over the outstreched arm of Duke forward Shavlik Randolph Tuesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Davis had 17 points in the 74-81 loss. —

Durham, N.C. - No. 10 Duke beat No. 11 MSU 81-74, Tuesday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Junior guard J.J. Redick and senior guard Daniel Ewing led the Blue Devils (4-0) to a second consecutive victory over the Spartans in the sixth annual ACC/Big Ten challenge.

The pair of guards was unstoppable, each scoring 29 points and nailing five 3-pointers.

"You've got to give Redick and Ewing credit," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said.

It was all Redick in the first half, as he torched the Spartans for 21 points to give Duke a 44-36 advantage going into the locker room. Ewing finished strong, scoring 15 points in the last 20 minutes, including some key shots in the final minutes.

The Spartans (3-1) were unable to produce the high-scoring numbers they had been accustomed to in their first three games, when they averaged 103.3 points per game.

MSU's regular-season leading scorers struggled from the start. In the first half, sophomore guard Shannon Brown, junior guard Maurice Ager and senior guard Kelvin Torbert combined for only 10 points. Brown and Ager didn't hit a single field goal in the opening half.

Duke notched its only double-digit lead of the game early in the second half, but the Spartans were able to slowly chip away at it with 11 minutes to go.

A pair of three-pointers by senior guards Chris Hill and Alan Anderson, along with an alley-oop dunk off of a fast break by Ager brought the Spartans back within five points with seven minutes remaining.

After trading shots and free throws, the Spartans were again able to cut the Blue Devils' lead. The Spartans got two points after a monstrous alley-oop dunk by Brown to Torbert and a Hill field goal.

Redick cooled off in the second half, while Duke senior guard Daniel Ewing, who had 14 points in the opening half, scored another 12 in the first 16 minutes of the second half.

After more traded free throws, MSU climbed within one point of the Blue Devils, but guard Sean Dockery hit a tough basket falling down.

Missed free throws down the stretch plagued the Spartans, as Ager missed two of four from the charity stripe and Davis missed another pair.

Between the Spartans free-throw attempts, Ewing hit a 3-pointer to send the crowd into a frenzy and give the Blue Devils a five point lead they wouldn't relinquish.

The Spartans next head to Washington, D.C., for the BB&T Classic Basketball Tournament on Saturday.

Discussion

Share and discuss “Devils' night” on social media.