Duke takes down Tigers
There was a familiar sound coming from Littlejohn Coliseum Saturday as Duke dispatched Clemson for the 19th straight time in the series.
Clank...clank...clank...clank.
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Clemson's unmitigated disaster from the foul line spoiled their chances at an upset in a game the Tigers played well in otherwise.
Duke was 29-of-36 from the charity stripe while the Tigers were an embarrasing 6-of-21. That 23 point disparity was more than enough to make the difference in Duke's 87-77 road triumph.
Duke had five players in double figures, butJ.J. Redick's 34 points again paced the Duke offense. The senior co-captain never left the floor, playing all 40 minutes and hitting on 10-of-16 shot attempts from the field.
He got plenty of help from Shelden Williams, who recorded his usual double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Duke's defense wasn't as dominating as it was against Maryland Wednesday night, as Clemson put together a solid game offensively.
The Tigers used effective dribble penetration, battled their way to 19 offensive rebounds, and got a career game from guard Vernon Hamilton to stay within striking distance.
The Devils were able to force enough turnovers to get a few easy baskets on the other end. Duke got 18 points off of turnovers and outscored Clemson in fast break points 14-6.
Hamilton put up 31 points, repeatedly knocking down mid-range jump shots and working his way into the lane to finish at the basket. Hamilton wasn't immune from the free throw plague, though, hitting just 2-of-6 from the stripe to contribute to the team problem.
Clemson got good performances from Shawan Robinson and Cliff Hammonds as well. Robinson hit 3-of-6 from three point range on his way to 17 points.
Hammonds also hit double figures with 10 points but was a big factor defensively with three steals and six rebounds from his guard position.
The game stayed close for most of the first half. Clemson held a 24-22 lead at the 9:39 mark of the first half and again led 31-30 with 5:00 to go, but Duke closed the half on a 14-7 run to take a 44-38 lead to the locker room.
Clemson was still within range in the game's final two minutes, trailing 76-71 when Akin Akingbala scored in the paint.
Duke quickly responded by moving down the floor against pressure and Redick hit Dockery for a wide open layup to push the lead back to seven at 78-71.
From that point, Duke had to just make free throws to close out their 16th victory of the season.