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Cavaliers Fall at No. 1 Duke 76-60
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DURHAM, N.C.-Senior guard Nolan Smith scored 29 points and top-ranked Duke rallied in the second half for a 76-60 victory over Virginia at the Blue Devils’ Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The victory improved Duke’s record to 16-1 overall and 3-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The loss was the second consecutive ACC loss for Virginia. The Cavaliers are now 10-7 overall and 1-2 in the ACC.
Sophomore guard Andre Dawkins added 14 points for Duke and senior forward Kyle Singler had 13 points. Sophomore forward Mason Plumlee had a game-high 16 rebounds for the Blue Devils.
Senior guard Mustapha Farrakhan and freshman guard Joe Harris each scored 15 points to lead UVa. Junior center Assane Sene led the Cavaliers with five rebounds.
Virginia led 31-25 at halftime and by as many as nine points in the second half. The Cavaliers led 44-39 with 13:09 left to play after a layup by senior forward Will Sherrill, but Duke then went on a 10-0 run to take the lead. Smith scored the last four points in the Blue Devils’ run.
UVa was still within two points of the Blue Devils (54-52) after three made free throws by junior guard Sammy Zeglinski with 9:04 left in the game. Duke then scored eight consecutive points, including two three-pointers by Dawkins, as part of a 14-2 run that gave the Blue Devils a 68-54 lead and control of the game with 3:09 left to play.
Virginia led by as many as 10 points in the first half. An 8-0 run that included three-pointers by Harris and Farrakhan and a dunk by freshman forward Akil Mitchell gave the Cavaliers a 27-17 lead with 3:29 left in the half. Farrakhan scored 12 of his points in the first half as UVa led by six at the break.
Duke shot 46.6 percent (27-58) from the field in the game, including 25.0 percent (5-20) from three-point range, and 85.0 percent (17-20) from the free throw line. The Blue Devils out-rebounded Virginia 42-31.
Virginia shot 34.5 percent (19-55) from the field in the game, including 37.5 percent (6-16) from three-point range, and 69.6 percent (16-23) from the free throw line.
The Cavaliers return to action on Wednesday (Jan. 19) at Boston College. That game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network. The game will not be televised.