Duke Wins ACC Slugfest at Georgia Tech

Blue Devils rally late to hold off Yellow Jackets

It was not a game for the weak or the timid as Duke and Georgia Tech exchanged haymakers in the paint in an ACC slugfest in Atlanta.

The Blue Devils held off a second-half Yellow Jackets push to pull away to a 73-64 win, moving to 14-1, 4-0 in the ACC, with their eighth straight win.

Playing in front of a sellout crowd that lined up around the block to get in to see the game, Georgia Tech came out fast, building an early lead. Duke went on an 18-2 run late in the half, however, and went to the break up 11.

Tech came out of the locker room with a 9-2 run to make a game of things, though, and eventually pulled ahead by three late in the game. Duke was able to hit shots and just enough free throws late, however, while the Yellow Jackets missed their final 11 shots of the game, finishing in a 3:11 scoring drought.

Both teams visited the post early and often, as more than half of the games points were scored in the paint. Duke finished with a 38-36 advantage inside. Georgia Tech’s veteran bigs James Banks and Moses Wright showed Duke freshman Vernon Carey just how rough and tumble the ACC can be. Banks finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds, 7 blocks and four fouls. Wright had 12 points, 10 rebounds and four fouls.

Carey finished with 14 points but hit fewer than half his shots and had just six rebounds. The balanced Duke scoring attack was led by Tre Jones with 16 points, to go with 7 assists. Cassius Stanley had 14, including several dunks late in the game as Duke pulled away.