Duke halts losing streak with win over Georgia Tech
Duke isn’t dominating opponents like it is accustomed to but the Blue Devils kept up their success over Georgia Tech at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday night.
DJ Steward scored 19 points while Jalen Johnson scored 18 points and Matthew Hurt 17 as the Blue Devils beat Georgia Tech 75-68, keeping the Yellow Jackets winless in Durham since 2004.
“I think we really just executed on offense and defense tonight,” Johnson said. “I think that was the main thing that really helped us pull this one out. Other games we didn’t quite execute all the way through. But tonight we did and I think this is the start of something good.”
Duke (6-5, 4-3 ACC) halted its three-game losing streak, avoiding its first four-game losing streak since 2007, despite Georgia Tech guard Jose Alvarado scoring a game-high 26 points. Raleigh’s Moses Wright added 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets (7-5, 3-3 ACC).
In a game the Blue Devils led by 11 twice in the second half, Georgia Tech forged four ties in the final 10 minutes. The last tie came at 68 when Khalid Moore’s layup with 1:37 to play.
But Duke scored the game’s final seven points -- all from the free throw line. Johnson’s free throw with 1:21 left put Duke in front for good.
Jordan Goldwire’s steal from Alvarado with 1:01 foiled the Yellow Jackets’ final chance to take a lead. Fouled at the other end of the court, Goldwire’s two free throws put Duke up 71-68 with 47 seconds left.
Georgia Tech’s Jordan Usher had a chance to tie the game but missed a 3-pointer with 32 seconds to play.
Goldwire boosted Duke off the bench, scoring 11 points with seven assists and two steals.
“We beat a really good team tonight,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “I’m proud of my guys. They played a tough game. I thought the leadership that Goldwire and (Wendell) Moore provided, it was the first time we’ve had that level of leadership. Jordan did a really good job, he did a great job in the game.”
Here are earlier updates from the game:
Second-half update: Duke opens lead, GT responds
After leading by eight points at halftime, Duke held a 56-54 lead with 7:05 to play at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke built a pair of 11-point leads in the second half only to see Georgia Tech storm back behind senior guard Jose Alvarado.
The Blue Devils extended their eight-point halftime lead to 38-27. Georgia Tech scored seven points in a row, only to see Duke reel off seven in a row to lead 45-34 on a DJ Steward 3-pointer with 15:41 to play.
But the Yellow Jackets chipped away behind Alvarado and tied the game at 52 with 9:30 to play on a Jordan Usher layup.
Halftime update: Duke takes eight-point lead
Strong play late in the half, particularly from freshman guard DJ Steward, allowed Duke to take a 33-25 lead over Georgia Tech at halftime.
The Blue Devils scored the final 10 points of the first half, with Steward tallying eight of them. He hit two free throws then drilled a pair of 3-pointers, giving him 12 points.
Georgia Tech, which led by as many as four points in the first half, went scoreless over the final four minutes, coming up empty on nine consecutive possessions. Duke contributed to that with three steals.
The Blue Devils hit just 13 of 33 shots (39.4%) in the first half, including 3 of 9 on 3-pointers. Duke turned the ball over eight times.
Georgia Tech ended the half at 32.3% (10 of 31), including 3 of 13 (23.1%) on 3-pointers with seven turnovers. Jose Alvarado’s eight points led the Yellow Jackets.
First half update: GT erases Duke’s early lead
After Duke built an early six-point lead with a strong start, Georgia Tech shot its way back to take a 20-16 lead with 7:54 left in the first half.
Three-pointers from Jose Alvarado and Khalid Moore spurred a 10-2 Yellow Jackets run to wipe out Duke’s lead.
Duke hit 8 of its first 19 shots and has four turnovers.
Coach K sticks with same lineup
Even though Duke lost 70-65 at Louisville on Saturday, Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski is sticking with the same five players who started that game in Tuesday’s game with Georgia Tech. Duke’s starters include sophomores Matthew Hurt and Wendell Moore and freshmen Jalen Johnson, DJ Steward and Jeremy Roach. Krzyzewski liked the team’s competitiveness even though missed open shots late led to the loss.
Blue Devils seek to halt rare long losing streak
Duke has lost three games in a row for the first time since 2016 need a win over Georgia Tech to avoid the program’s first four-game losing streak since 2007. That Duke team, which finished 22-11, suffered through a pair of four-game losing streaks, one in early February in ACC play and another over the season’s final four games.
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 8:39 PM.