Duke claims big win it needed by edging No. 7 Virginia basketball
Struggling most of the season, Duke secured the signature win it lacked to show its season may not be sunk just yet.
The Blue Devils held No. 7 Virginia scoreless over the game’s final three minutes as Kihei Clark’s missed 3-pointer at the buzzer allowed Duke to escape with a 66-65 win over the Cavaliers at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
It’s the first win over a ranked team this season for Duke (10-8, 8-6 ACC), which has won three games in a row since dropping below .500 for the first time since 1999.
“This was a big time win for us,” said Duke sophomore forward Matthew Hurt, who scored a game-high 22 points. “We need this one badly.”
Hurt sank five 3-pointers for Duke, while Jeremy Roach scored 12 points and Jaemyn Brakefield added 11 with five rebounds off the bench. Brakefield’s basket with 1:59 to play produced the game’s final points.
“It seemed like everybody contributed to make a big play, big plays, down to the end,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “But it’s a huge one for us. And a well-earned one, because I think they’re really just an outstanding basketball team.”
Jay Huff scored 20 points and Sam Hauser 19 for Virginia (15-5, 11-3 ACC), which dropped its second ACC game in a row.
In a nip-and-tuck game, Virginia took its largest lead of the second half at 56-51 with 6:51 to play when Clark scored and added a free throw.
Duke immediately responded with a Wendell Moore basket. Jordan Goldwire’s steal led to a DJ Steward 3-pointer that tied the game at 56 with 5:49 to play.
The Cavaliers broke a 60-60 tie when Clark drilled a 3-pointer with 3:48 to play putting Virginia up 63-60.
Hurt scored a basket for Duke but Huff countered with two free throws for a 65-62 Cavaliers lead. Those proved to be Virginia’s final points.
With 2:41 left, DJ Steward hit a jumper pulling Duke within a point.
That’s when Brakefield made plays on both ends to put the Blue Devils in front for good.
With 2:21 to play, Clark drove toward the basket but Brakefield blocked his layup attempt. At the other end, with 1:59 to play, Brakefield drove past Huff to score a reverse layup giving Duke a 66-65 lead.
Casey Morsell missed a shot for Virginia with 1:36 left but the Cavaliers got the ball back after Roach missed a 3-pointer for Duke with 1:07 to play.
Virginia had two shots to tie the game on its penultimate possession. Hauser missed a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left but Huff grabbed the offensive rebound. Clark missed a jumper with 14 seconds left and the scramble for the rebound resulted in a held ball. Duke had the possession arrow.
Steward missed the front end of a 1-and-bonus with nine seconds left, giving Virginia a chance to win. But Clark missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Duke shot 51% from the field while making nine of 23 3-pointers. The Blue Devils committed 10 turnovers.
Virginia finished at 50% shooting and made 5 of 11 3-pointers. With Duke recording seven steals and forcing two shot-clock violations, the Cavaliers committed 13 turnovers. Duke scored 15 points off those turnovers.
Here are the earlier updates from the game:
Second half update
The shooting cooled off dramatically over the first 11-plus minutes of the second half, leaving Duke and Virginia tied at 51 with 8:33 to play.
Duke missed seven of its first eight 3-pointers after halftime but stayed with Virginia thanks to a pair of Henry Coleman rebound baskets.
Jay Huff scored Virginia’s first six points of the half on rebound dunks. He added another dunk off a Sam Hauser pass with 10:01 to play to give him 16 points in the game.
Matthew Hurt led Duke with 18 points.
Halftime update
By shooting the ball well and forcing a Virginia team that’s among the best in the nation at not turning the ball over to cough it up, Duke took a 39-36 halftime lead over the No. 7 Cavaliers.
In desperate need of their first win over a ranked team this season, the Blue Devils hit 14 of 25 shots (56%) from the field, including 7 of 12 3-pointers. Matthew Hurt hit four of his five 3-point shots to lead Duke with 12 points.
Virginia, which entered the game No. 3 in the country in protecting the ball with just 9.5 turnovers per game, committed seven turnovers in the first half. Duke recorded four steals, with Jordan Goldwire picking up two of them, and the Blue Devils scored 12 points off the Cavaliers’ turnovers.
Sam Hauser led Virginia in scoring with 12 points by hitting all five of his shots from the field. Virginia hit 15 of 25 first-half shots (60%).
First-half update
Both teams started the game shooting well and Virginia took a 25-22 with 7:04 left in the first half.
Duke’s Matthew Hurt hit three 3-pointers in the game’s first seven minutes, making him 11 of 13 from behind the arc in Duke’s last three games. Sam Hauser scored seven points to lead Virginia by hitting all three of his shots from the field, including a 3-pointer.
Through the first 12 minutes and 56 seconds of play, Duke hit 9 of 15 shots (60%), including 4 of 7 3-pointers. Virginia countered by hitting 11 of 16 (68.8%) while going 2 of 2 on 3-pointers.
Pregame update
Even though Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski didn’t use this starting five prior to the Feb. 6 game against North Carolina, he is going with the same starting lineup for the fifth consecutive game tonight against Virginia. The Blue Devils will start with freshmen guards DJ Steward and Jeremy Roach, sophomore small forward Wendell Moore, sophomore forward Matthew Hurt and freshman center Mark Williams.
Tonight’s officials are Ted Valentine, James Breeding and A.J. Desai.
This story was originally published February 20, 2021 at 7:44 PM.