The game started with two quick threes from Duke to take a 6-0 lead. The hot shooting would be a them of the first half. Virginia answered Duke’s 6-0 start with a 9-0 run.
Neither team was able to gain any real separation. There were six lead changes, and Duke’s six point lead to start the game was the largest lead for either side in the first half. Kihei Clark gave Virginia a five point lead at the 8:32 mark of the half, their largest first half lead. Jaemyn Brakefield answered with an offensive burst, which helped Duke regain a 29-25 lead.
Predominately crisp offense and good shooting continued for both teams for the remainder of the half. Duke took a 39-36 lead into the break.
It did not take long for Duke to give up their lead in the second half. Virginia opened on a 6-0 run, with questionable shot selection from Duke playing a large part in that. Matthew Hurt would then score the next six Duke points to put Duke back on top.
From the 16:48 mark to the 13:48 mark, not a single point was scored by either team. Casey Morsell broke the drought with a jumper to give Virginia a two point lead. Henry Coleman entered the game and made a quick impact. He tied the game at 51 all with 9:25 to play.
Duke fell behind by five with 6:49 to play, a dangerous position to be in against a team that plays defense as well as Virginia. The team showed resiliency by fighting back. A Jaemyn Brakefield layup gave Duke the lead back with 1:58 left.
This game could have gone either way in the final two minutes. DJ Steward was fouled with nine second to play and missed the front end of a one and one. Virginia had a chance to win it on the final possession of the game, but Duke’s defense held firm to secure the win.
Five Observations:
Virginia turnovers
Duke forced Virginia into 11 turnovers, two above their season average. This was a key for Duke going into the game and they did a great job of forcing Virginia into uncharacteristic turnovers. The defensive turnaround this team has shown continues to impress.
Matthew Hurt
Matthew Hurt was simply incredible in this game. The Sophomore continues to dominate the ACC. Hurt hit several timely shots for Duke and bailed them out on a couple different occasions. Hurt finished with 22 points and four rebounds and shot 8/13 from the field.
Tale of two halves
Both teams enjoyed a successful offensive first half. Shots were falling on both sides. The game completely flipped in the second half. The defensive intensity picked up, and both teams were much cooler in the half. After 72 total points were scored in the first half, just 56 total were scored in the second half.
Duke survives cold shooting in the second half
Duke shot just 2/11 from three in the second half. The fact this team was able to pull out the win after going cold from distance in the second half is highly impressive. It says a lot about the improvement this team has made. Virginia is a tough team to beat when going cold from distance for an entire half.
Jaemyn Brakefield
Jaemyn Brakefield had a terrific game. He was an offensive sparkplug off the bench, pouring in 11 points. Even more impressive was his activity level. Brakefield did his best Mark Williams impression in blocking four shots on the night. He also pulled down five rebounds. His play down the stretch was incredible, and the sequence where he blocked a layup and then scored with under two minutes left may have saved Duke’s season.