The Duke Blue Devils tried to catch another game up on Miami, who currently leads the ACC conference on Tuesday. The Clemson Tigers traveled to Durham, North Carolina in hopes of knocking off Duke basketball. The Tigers took the ninth-ranked Blue Devils to the wire, as they gave Duke everything that they could handle.
Clemson surprised many, as they covered the 11.5-point spread. However, they lost by two points, 71-69.
Duke Basketball Hangs on in a Wild Second Half
The game was deadlocked going into the half. Duke’s star freshman, Paolo Banchero, who was out of the game early in foul trouble, provided the spark for the Blue Devils in the second half. Banchero opened the half with five straight points for Duke. He finished the game with 19 points.
Clemson staged a comeback, as Duke led by seven with just over eight minutes remaining. Hunter Tyson hit a three for the Tigers, while Chase Hunter scored a fast-break dunk to cut the lead to two. Nick Honor hit a three-pointer to give Clemson a one-point lead.
With just over a minute to go, Banchero hit a mid-range jumper to give Duke a two-possession lead. Tyson once again led a comeback, scoring a dunk to make it a one-point game. Banchero once again came up huge for Duke, as he scored a layup in the final moments of the game. Duke then ran out the clock to win the game.
The win for the Blue Devils puts them at a 15-3 record, good for third in the ACC, behind Miami and Florida State. Clemson drops to 11th in the ACC, with an 11-8 record. The Blue Devils take on the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, while Clemson has the rest of the week off, before their game against Florida State on Wednesday, Feb. 2.
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