National Basketball Association
Louisville 71, Duke 64
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 20, 2016
Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Officials:
# Brian Dorsey, # Joe Lindsay, # Brian O'Connell
Attendance:
22785
By The Sports Xchange
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Louisville guard Damion Lee didn't fret when the 18th-ranked Cardinals trailed No. 20 Duke by 13 points in the second half Saturday.
"I just let the game come to me," he said.
Lee canned three straight 3-pointers in a 2:18 stretch late in the game as Louisville stormed from behind to knock off the depleted Blue Devils 71-64 in an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown at KFC Yum! Center.
In improving to 21-6 overall and 10-4 in the conference, the Cardinals used a 25-7 run after trailing 52-41 with 11:38 left. As has seemingly been the case throughout most Louisville wins, Lee was front and center with a streak of long-distance shooting.
Lee's 3 from the left wing with 7:33 left cut Duke's lead to 55-53. On the third shot of the Cardinals' next possession, Lee sank a 3 from the top of the key for a 56-55 edge, Louisville's first lead since 22-19 with 8:31 left in the first half.
Two trips later, Lee swished a 3 from NBA range in front of coach Rick Pitino with 5:15 remaining for a 61-57 advantage.
"Our players were very deserving of a game like this, and our fans were very deserving of a game like this," Pitino said. "This will lift the spirits of a town that's been a little bit down."
After banning itself from postseason play Feb. 5, concluding that recruiting violations occurred earlier this decade, Louisville remains in the hunt for an ACC regular-season title. The Cardinals are in a three-way tie with Miami and Virginia, a game behind first place North Carolina.
The Blue Devils (20-7, 9-5) fell two games behind with four to go, although they are a cinch for an at-large bid after a five-game winning streak that included one-point wins over Virginia and North Carolina. They appeared to be in line for their second win over Louisville in 12 days before wearing down in the final 10 minutes.
Playing just six men due to injuries, Duke lost point guard Derryck Thornton for nearly seven minutes at the 9:05 mark after he hurt his right elbow while turning the ball over to Lee. Shortly thereafter, the Blue Devils started losing their composure with the ball and their tempers.
Shortly after Lee's third 3, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski drew a technical foul from referee Joe Lindsay during a timeout. Guard Grayson Allen fouled out on a charging call with 3:55 remaining and then earned a technical from Lindsay after swinging his fist in frustration towards referee Brian O'Connell.
Krzyzewski criticized the officiating as inconsistent.
"Don't show those videos," he said, referring to the NCAA's crackdown on contact. "You've got to be kidding me. We were not strong enough to adapt to a different environment. Give Louisville credit. They played really hard, and they were coming after us like crazy."
Allen gunned in a game-high 29 points on just 12 shot attempts, sinking 5-of-8 3s, but didn't get enough help. No other Duke player reached double figures, with freshman guard Brandon Ingram scoring just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting while committing a whopping 10 turnovers.
Allen ruled the first half with 19 points, frequently flashing open on the left wing or corner and then knocking down 3s at will. His wide-open 3 with 1.8 seconds left before halftime gave the Blue Devils a 37-29 lead.
Thornton returned with 2:24 left and promptly hit a pair of buckets to pull Duke within 66-64, but Lee and forward Jaylen Johnson swished two foul shots each in the last minute to seal it.
Lee finished with 24 points, while freshman forward Deng Adel added 12. Center Chinanu Onuaku collected 10 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.
"This is a special group," Pitino said, "and we're really going to miss them when they leave here."
NOTES: Duke G Matt Jones (ankle) missed Saturday's game after getting injured in the first half of Wednesday night's 74-73 win at North Carolina. There is no timetable for his return. ... Louisville C Chinanu Onuaku's 13 points and 15 rebounds Wednesday night against Syracuse represented his eighth double-double in ACC play this season. ... Louisville honored its 1986 national championship team, which defeated Duke in the title game, at halftime.
Top Game Performances
| Duke |
|
Louisville |
|
Grayson Allen 29 |
Scoring |
Damion Lee 24 |
|
Grayson Allen 3 |
Assists |
Trey Lewis 5 |
|
Marshall Plumlee 14 |
Rebounds |
Chinanu Onuaku 11 |
|
Grayson Allen 8 |
Free Throws Made |
Damion Lee 5 |
|
Derryck Thornton 2 |
Steals |
Damion Lee 4 |
|
Marshall Plumlee 1 |
Blocks |
Chinanu Onuaku 4 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Duke
|
64 |
44.7 |
9-20 |
13-18 |
11 |
27 |
1 |
5 |
18 |
| Louisville
|
71 |
50.0 |
6-17 |
9-18 |
17 |
29 |
7 |
8 |
11 |
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