National Basketball Association
Kansas 77, Duke 75
When: 9:30 PM ET, Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Officials:
# Patrick Adams, # James Breeding, # Mike Roberts
Attendance:
19812
By The Sports Xchange
NEW YORK -- After jetting 11,000 miles from Hawaii to New York to prepare to play the No. 1 team in the country, Kansas coach Bill Self was understandably concerned about fatigue setting in for his Jayhawks.
Apparently the message didn't reach Frank Mason III. The senior guard drilled a jumper in the lane with 1.8 seconds left to lift No. 7 Kansas over No. 1 Duke 77-75 in the second game of the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
"The play was to isolate me," Mason said. "My teammates did a good job of spacing the floor. I just took advantage of the separation. It felt good when it left my hand.
"The only thing I was worried about was my balance. I felt a little off-balance."
In the first game, No. 2 Kentucky knocked off No. 13 Michigan State 69-48.
Kansas was coming off a grueling 103-99 overtime loss to Indiana to open the season on Friday in the Armed Forces Classic.
Mason, who was one of three Jayhawks to log at least 30 minutes on Tuesday, led Kansas (1-1) with 21 points. Jayhawks freshman phenom Josh Jackson scored 15 points but fouled out with 5:08 to play and Kansas ahead 65-55.
"Frank would have played 40 minutes if we weren't in foul trouble," Self said. "It's been a pretty long trip. After losing to Indiana, this was almost a must-win game for us.
"You don't like to say that in November, but we could have been looking at 0-2."
Kansas committed 26 fouls, with four players getting four each, including Mason.
Luke Kennard led Duke (2-1) with 22 points.
Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen, a Player of the Year candidate, struggled with his shot, making 4 of 15 (1 of 7 from beyond the arc) for 12 points. He gingerly walked off the court just before halftime after landing awkwardly going up for a rebound. He played the majority of the second half.
"(Allen) had a very frustrating game," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "You can't expect to get a foul every time you make a move. He makes a good move and he expects a foul. You can't do that.
"He's playing hard when he gets the ball. He has to play hard when he doesn't get the ball, which is what he did late in the game. Obviously, he'll be better than he was tonight."
Duke was without its three freshman big men. Harry Giles (knee), Marques Bolden (lower leg) and Jayson Tatum (foot) were all in street clothes. They have yet to play this season.
Duke's Frank Jackson drilled a 3-pointer from the right elbow to tie it at 75-75 with 20 seconds left.
The Blue Devils climbed back from a 65-55 deficit with 5:48 to play, getting within 72-68 on a Kennard layup, but a three-point play from Mason advanced the Kansas lead to 75-68 with 1:54 to go.
A steal and layup from Mason put Kansas ahead 62-50 with 8:06 remaining.
A jumper from Josh Jackson gave Kansas a 41-39 edge and ignited a Jayhawks run that saw the talented freshman score seven of his team's next 11 points. The surge pushed the Jayhawks to a 52-43 lead with 11:36 to play.
The score was tied seven times in the first half before the Blue Devils created some separation with a 5-0 run to end the half with a 34-29 lead at the break.
Kansas led for just 20 seconds in the first half but never trailed by more than nine points.
NOTES: Kansas is 9-16 all-time against No. 1 teams. ... This was the first meeting between the two schools since the 2013 Champions Classic and the 11th overall. Duke leads the series 8-3. ... Duke played for the 38th time at Madison Square Garden under coach Mike Krzyzewski. ... Duke ranks fourth in NCAA history in wins and winning percentage, while Kansas ranks second in wins and third in winning percentage. ... Duke redshirt freshman F Justin Robinson's father David played 14 seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and is in the NBA Hall of Fame. Justin Robinson didn't play Tuesday.
Top Game Performances
| Duke |
|
Kansas |
|
Luke Kennard 22 |
Scoring |
Frank Mason 21 |
|
Luke Kennard 5 |
Assists |
Frank Mason 5 |
|
Luke Kennard 5 |
Rebounds |
Udoka Azubuike 12 |
|
Luke Kennard 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Frank Mason 5 |
|
Grayson Allen 1 |
Steals |
Frank Mason 2 |
|
Chase Jeter 3 |
Blocks |
Udoka Azubuike 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Duke
|
75 |
48.9 |
8-19 |
21-30 |
12 |
22 |
5 |
3 |
16 |
| Kansas
|
77 |
50.8 |
2-17 |
9-19 |
13 |
34 |
4 |
6 |
14 |
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