The Blue Devils made 14 more free throws and shot 16 more free throws than the Spartans and had five less turnovers.

Duke came out scorching, nailing their first seven attempts from the field, all of which came in the paint.

The Blue Devils shot 56 percent in the first half and 54 percent for the game.

MSU shot 50 percent from the field. The Spartans had nine different players make at least one field goal in the game.

MSU did win the battle on the boards, out-rebounding the Blue Devils, 35-25.

Junior guard Denzel Valentine was able to keep the game close, scoring nine points on 4-of-7 shooting in the first half. Valentine finished with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Senior forward Branden Dawson scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

Senior guard Travis Trice, for the second straight game, did a little bit of everything. He posted 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Duke’s freshman center Jahlil Okafor led the Blue Devils attack in the first half, totaling 10 points, three rebounds and two steals.

However, MSU did a better job of containing Okafor in the second half. The Spartans held him to seven points and two rebounds.

Junior transfer guard Bryn Forbes filled in for sophomore guard Alvin Ellis III, who was unable to suit up tonight due to a sprained ankle.

Forbes had nine points on 3-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Blue Devils controlled the second half, leading throughout the duration.

Two made free throws by Valentine with 12:19 remaining cut the Duke lead to three, 48-51. But that was as close as the Spartans would get.

From there, Duke used a 7-0 run to push their lead back to ten.