ACC Basketball: No. 21 Duke defeats Pitt in Coach K’s first game back
No. 21 Duke defeated Pitt, 72-64, on Saturday afternoon in Coach K’s first ACC basketball game following back surgery.
No. 21 Duke handed Pittsburgh their ninth conference loss, winning 72-64 at Cameron Indoor.
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Four Blue Devils scored in double figures. Grayson Allen led Duke with 21 points and added six rebounds and six assists.
Michael Young led all scorers with 24 points for the Panthers. Jamel Artis posted 21 points and nine rebounds.
The first half was extremely tight. Pitt was once up by five 10 minutes into the game, but a 13-4 run by the Blue Devils gave them a 28-22 lead, the largest lead of the first half. The game was tied at 28 at the halftime buzzer. Amile Jefferson had 10 for Duke in the first half.
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There were seven lead changes early on in the second half. The Blue Devils finally gained a six-point lead with about six minutes remaining in regulation and never lost that lead for the rest of the game.
Pitt scored six unanswered points late in the game, cutting Duke’s lead to three.
Duke was up 63-59 with two and a half minutes remaining, and an 11-1 run over a span of two minutes iced the game for Duke.
Allen was incredible down the stretch for the Blue Devils. In the last eight minutes alone, he posted 18 points and only missed one field goal attempt.
Pitt falls to 1-9 in conference play, giving them the worst record in the ACC. They have lost their last eight games.
Duke rises into the top six in the ACC standings. The Blue Devils are 6-4 in conference play and are riding a three-game winning streak. The preseason consensus No. 1 team is finally beginning to gel and are playing at a high level.
Next: Injury Report (MiKyle McIntosh out three weeks)
Pitt, now 12-11 overall, faces Boston College in their next contest on February 8th. Duke, now 18-5 overall, hosts No. 12 North Carolina on February 9th. This marks the rivalry’s first game this season.