SportsDirect Inc. Ad
SportsDirect Inc. Ad
SportsDirect Inc. Ad
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Duke 81, Michigan St 61
When: 6:09 PM ET, Saturday, April 4, 2015
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials: # Patrick Adams, # Mike Eades, # Bryan Kersey
Attendance: N/A

Duke 81, Michigan State 61: Freshmen stars Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow combined for 37 points on 12-of-18 shooting as the Blue Devils breezed past the Spartans in Indianapolis to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament championship game.

Quinn Cook added 17 points for Duke (34-4), which faces fellow No. 1 seed Wisconsin in Monday's title game. Okafor rebounded from a pair of subpar efforts in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight to record 18 points and six boards, while Winslow registered 19 points and nine rebounds.

Denzel Valentine went 5-of-9 from 3-point range and paced Michigan State (27-12) with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Travis Trice completed a strong showing in the tournament with 16 points and five assists. The Spartans - a No. 7 seed among a trio of No. 1 seeds in the Final Four - failed to help their cause by committing 14 turnovers and 28 fouls.

The Spartans started 5-of-7 from the field with Valentine going 3-of-3 from behind the arc, including a transition triple that created a 14-6 advantage 3:44 into the game. However, Michigan State went 3-of-20 over the remainder of the half as Okafor finished the period with 10 points to help Duke to a 36-25 lead at the break.

Winslow, Cook and Matt Jones each made a layup during a quick 6-0 run to open the second half and Cook later scored four points in six seconds to push the lead to 54-34. The Spartans never got closer than 13 the rest of the way with the Blue Devils' collection of freshmen - including Greyson Allen (nine points, five rebounds) thwarting every rally attempt.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski has won four national championships, with the first (1991) and most recent (2010) coming in Indianapolis. With a win on Monday, he'll become the second coach to win at least five NCAA Tournament titles (John Wooden, 10). ... Duke, which leads the all-time series 10-2, also defeated Michigan State 81-71 on this same court as part of the Champions Classic on Nov. 18. Okafor scored 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting that night. ... Spartans F Branden Dawson notched 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks but also had five turnovers - three fewer than the Blue Devils had as a team.
Top Game Performances
 
Michigan St   Duke
Denzel Valentine 22 Scoring Justise Winslow 19
Lourawls Nairn Jr 5 Assists Tyus Jones 4
Denzel Valentine 11 Rebounds Justise Winslow 9
Denzel Valentine 3 Free Throws Made Justise Winslow 9
Branden Dawson 2 Steals Matt Jones 2
Branden Dawson 2 Blocks Jahlil Okafor 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Michigan St 61 40.0 7-20 10-16 10 31 3 4 14
Duke 81 52.0 2-10 27-37 10 36 4 9 8