Duke wins third straight, holds off No. 7 Virginia at the buzzer

Duke took a huge step forward Saturday night, winning its third straight game with a 66-65 victory over the No. 7 ranked Virginia Cavaliers.

The Blue Devils’ win effectively keeps their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

“This was a big-time win for us, and we needed this one badly,” Matthew Hurt said.

The victory was just the second in nine contests that were decided by two or fewer possessions. The last was victory in such games came on Jan. 6 when Duke defeated Boston College, 83-82. This win holds just a bit more weight than the previous one.

No disrespect to Boston College, but this win represents something much bigger, as Virginia is one of the nation’s elite when it comes to poise, patience and discipline, particularly down the stretch in tight basketball games.

For Duke to close out a game against a team with those credentials speaks volumes to its growth. And to do it by beating them at their own game made this win even an even sweeter one.

“It’s sad that fans were not at this game,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said following the game. “This was an epic game. This was a great basketball game tonight.

“Every position was fought. It seemed like every dribble at times. They’re an outstanding team and program, and they’re veterans and they played like it. They’re so poised and they play great defense. And our kids played great defense tonight, too.

“Huge win for us,” he added. “And well earned because I think they’re just an outstanding basketball team.”

Neither team was ever able to create much separation, as it remained at most a two possession game all night long. Duke’s largest lead came just 1:15 into the game when they led 6-0. Virginia’s largest lead was just five points, something they accomplished twice, while the teams exchanged leads six times over the course of the night.

The final lead change came with 1:59 left in the game. Duke was trailing 65-64, and freshman Jaemyn Brakefield made the biggest play of his young career.

The freshman received the ball from DJ Steward on the perimeter, just steps away from the Coach K Court emblem. Virginia forward Jay Huff found himself staring down Brakefield, as the freshman faked a handoff to Jeremy Roach. In one quick motion, the Duke lefty went to his right and drove past the 7-footer.

Huff trailed looking to block the shot from behind, but the freshman outsmarted the veteran and went under the rim for a reverse, finishing with his right hand and drawing the foul.

Just like that, Duke had a 66-65 lead. Unfortunately, Brakefield failed to complete the three point play, but in the end it didn’t matter.

Neither team scored again.

“I was just seeing that he was coming up,” Brakefield said about Huff chasing from behind. “I was just feeling him behind me, so I felt him coming up and (going for the reverse) was something I had been planning on doing the whole game.”

The drive and finish, followed by strong defense from the Blue Devils was a far cry from how previous close games had concluded.

After closing the first half strong, and taking a three-point lead into, Duke seemingly had the momentum. However, there was no doubt Virginia would make adjustments. The question was how would Duke respond.

At first, not very well. Virginia scored six straight points, and just 1:36 into the second half, Duke’s three-point lead had turned into a three-point deficit. Hurt, who shot lights out in the first half, making 4-of-5 shots from 3-point range, scored five quick points to tie the game up and stop Virginia’s momentum.

The teams continued to battle throughout the second half, and while Duke was not going away and allowing the Cavaliers to take control of the game, there still appeared to be something missing - the same things that weren’t present in the previous close losses.

With 8:10 to go, and the game tied at 51, Duke had two opportunities to take the lead. Instead, they turned the ball over twice in a row. Virginia responded by regaining a two possession lead.

There was a collective gasp among the Duke fanbase, fearing it would be another missed opportunity. But Duke had other plans. They played with poise, and made winning plays. Instead of falling to Virginia in the final moments, Duke flipped the narrative and made the team that preys on younger, inexperienced players have the mental collapse in the waning moments.

“We were together,” Brakefield said. “That’s it. Together. (The coaches) preach everyday, you’ve got to play harder, play together and play smarter, and that’s what we did tonight.

“I just knew once they went up we had to remain calm and just stay in the game. We knew we were always in the game, so just making those plays that’s why you come to Duke, man. Just to make plays like that. And that’s Duke basketball."

Duke would have never been in a position to win the game late had they not followed the game plan perfectly throughout the night.

Defensively, the Blue Devils wanted to switch in most situations. After using Mark Williams to matchup early with Huff - and to a decent level of success at first - Virginia began to expose his inexperience in defending away from the basket.

Krzyzewski’s response was to sub Brakefield into the game. At first, Huff took advantage of Brakefield’s smaller size. But the freshman quickly countered with physicality and his quickness on the perimeter.

While that helped against Huff, it also allowed Duke to switch one through five on defense. And it flustered Virginia. In many ways, it was beating them at their own game. Duke was making Virginia work on offense. The Cavaliers love working deep into the shot clock and getting open looks.

What they didn’t expect is they’d be playing late into the shot clock, and Duke wasn’t giving up many open shots. Virginia was efficient on offense, but nothing came easily.

In fact, Duke forced numerous shot clock violations, and pressured Virginia into 13 turnovers, four more than their season average.

“Jaemyn made it work, because he played so well,” Krzyzewski said. “Jaemyn was able to move his feet better. We didn’t want to switch all the time, but when we did he was able to stay pretty much in front of (Kihei) Clark and then our guards really fought Huff and sometimes we were able to bump another big down there and switch down there.

“A lot of communication for our young team. They had to communicate a lot tonight and they made really outstanding decisions on the defensive end of the court.”

Jordan Goldwire’s effort on defense was also noteworthy, as he recorded four steals and one block in 29 minutes of action. He made Clark, who turned it over three times, uncomfortable all game long.

Offensively, Duke was patient for most of the game. They moved the ball well, and rarely forced shots.

Hurt’s 22-point performance, and Jeremy Roach’s smooth shooting 12-point effort, kept Virginia on its heels early in the game. Then when Brakefield entered, he presented new challenges for the UVa defense.

Brakefield, after getting a 1:42 rest, checked back into the game with 9:01 left in the first half. Just under a minute and a half later, he went on a nine-point scoring barrage, seven of which came on fast breaks.

Upon his return, Duke went from trailing by five points to leading by four.

“I thought Jaemyn Brakefield saved us early on in the game,” Hurt said. “He had a lot of energy. He was attacking Huff.”

He ultimately finished with 11 points, five rebounds, four blocks and one steal.

While Brakefield, Hurt and Roach were outstanding, Wendell Moore Jr., is who made everything work. For Duke to have success on offense, they had to move the ball. They had to be patient. And they had to look for their moments to attack.

Moore, who finished with seven assists and five rebounds, was the catalyst for Duke’s offensive success. Six of those seven assists came in the first half, which ultimately helped Duke find a flow on offense early.

“Wendell had yeomen’s work tonight with seven assists and one turnover,” Krzyzewski said. “Brakefield really was spectacular tonight. Henry Coleman coming off the bench and giving us five minutes. Obviously Matt Hurt was outstanding.

“Everybody contributed. Really proud. Really happy for our guys, because it’s so well earned.”