GREENVILLE, S.C. — As soon as the whistle blew following Dahntay Jones’ rebound with 22 seconds left, Duke guard Chris Duhon jogged down the court with a smile, pumping his fist in the direction of a Blue Devil cheering section.
It was as if Duhon was giving Duke fans permission to finally exhale.
No. 1 Duke, seeded first in the South Region, survived a huge scare from eighth-seeded Notre Dame and knocked off the Fighting Irish 84-77 on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Bi-Lo Center.
Notre Dame held a seven-point edge with 6:21 left, but Duke — yes, Duke — came through with some clutch foul shooting to survive.
“It was a game befitting of an NCAA Tournament game,”Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “Both teams played with gusto, everybody was putting it on the line. They played so hard on both ends of the floor.
“It’s one of the tougher games I’ve been involved in the NCAAs, to be honest.”
Duke(31-3) led by as many as nine points late in the first half, but the Fighting Irish (22-11) took a 59-58 lead with 9:43 remaining and held onto it for the next five minutes.
The Blue Devils trailed 69-62 with 7:35 left and were still down seven a minute later when they made their charge.
Duke scored nine consecutive points, taking the lead on a left hook by Carlos Boozer with 3:40 left. After two more ties, the Blue Devils took the lead for good with 1:04 remaining on two free throws by Jason Williams, a 68-percent shooter.
“No matter what happens during the game, when the game comes down to the line, I want to be fouled,”said Williams, who had 18 points. “I like being in that situation.”
Williams, who missed important free throws in losses to Florida State and Virginia, stepped to the stripe again with 33.9 seconds left and drained two to give Duke an 80-77 lead.
Jones took a charge on a putback attempt by Matt Carroll on Notre Dame’s next possession, and freshman Daniel Ewing (18 points) hit both of his free-throw tries to push the lead to five.
Duke, which started the second half 1 of 7 from the line, hit 11 of its 12 tries in the final two minutes.
“When it comes down to free throws, I always want to take it,”Williams said.“I always know we can knock them down.”
Notre Dame coach Mike Brey gave Duke credit for turning up its defensive intensity in the final six and a half minutes, when the Blue Devils overcame their seven-point deficit.
With the contest tied at 71-71, Ewing deflected a pass out of bounds off David Graves, giving Duke possession. Boozer (13 points, eight rebounds) gave the Blue Devils the lead on the next trip down the floor.
With the game tied at 73-73, Notre Dame senior Ryan Humphrey blocked a driving layup by Ewing, then went up for a short jumper on the Irish’s next trip with 1:47 left.
Dunleavy blocked the shot and Humphrey got the rebound, but he had his pass stolen by Ewing.
Notre Dame tied the game one more time, but they were never able to retake the lead.
“I don’t think they’ve played great defense all year,”Brey said of Duke. “They go in and out of really guarding. When they were down seven, with their life flashing before their eyes, they really locked in.”
After the game, both teams shook hands for an extended period of time, giving this contest a feel of the Stanley Cup Finals.
It definitely had enough hard hitting.
Late in the first half, Humphrey and Dunleavy went for a long rebound of a missed 3 near the top of the key, and the two players got entangled.
Dunleavy, with Humphrey’s arm draped over him, bulled into the Notre Dame forward’s chest just before Humphrey shot back with a quick elbow.
The officials called the initial foul on Humphrey, then gave him a technical for the extra curricular activity.
Dunleavy buried four three throws to give Duke a 45-37 lead, its biggest of the contest.
“Both teams fought to the end,” Dunleavy said.“It wore me out. It’s not so much fun when you get down there with the big guys.”
Humphrey spent much of the game butting heads with Duke. The fun started with the Blue Devils leading 38-30 and preparing to shoot foul shots with four minutes left before the break.
Humphrey, who had already blocked two shots by Boozer, checked into the game at the same moment Boozer exited. As the two players crossed paths, Humphrey stuck out his hand to slap it with Boozer’s, but the junior center ignored the gesture.
Fifty seconds later, Humphrey and Dunleavy got together while going for a rebound on Notre Dame’s end of the court, and Humphrey brought Dunleavy to the ground with him.
Humphrey, who had 15 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks, had a chip on his shoulder entering the game.
“I tried to be myself and play hard each possession,”Humphrey said.“The only thing we heard this week was Duke this, Duke that, and it got to us.
“I don’t think anyone was giving us a chance.”
The people that thought Notre Dame couldn’t keep up with Duke ended up being sorely mistaken.
n
NOTES:Duhon (13 points) and Dunleavy (12) also reached double figures for Duke. ... Carroll and Graves led Notre Dame with 20 points apiece. ... Casey Sanders played a huge role off the bench, scoring two points and grabbing four rebounds in seven minutes. After he entered the game in the first half, he rebounded Notre Dame’s next three missed shots. “We felt comfortable putting him in the game,”Krzyzewski said. “At that juncture in the game, Casey Sanders was as important for us as any player on the court.” ... Duke will play on Thursday in the semifinals of the South Regional at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.
n
Contact Bret Strelow at 704-797-4258 or bstrelow@salisburypost.com
.
Today's News
