Bagley’s big 2nd half leads No. 5 Duke past No. 9 UNC
Duke’s Marvin Bagley III (35) dunks over North Carolina’s Brandon Robinson (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
DURHAM, N.C. — Marvin Bagley III had 18 of his 21 points in the second half along with 15 rebounds, and No. 5 Duke pulled away to beat No. 9 North Carolina 74-64 on Saturday night.
Grayson Allen added 15 points in his final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and Gary Trent Jr. had 13 points — including three 3-pointers in the final 10 minutes — to help the Blue Devils (25-6, 13-5) clinch the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
Duke was 8 of 15 from 3-point range in the second half — the Blue Devils made just 1 of 10 from that distance in the first half — and outrebounded North Carolina 24-13 after halftime.
Cameron Johnson scored 16 points for the Tar Heels (22-9, 11-7), while Kenny Williams and Luke Maye each had 13. Three weeks after they rallied from a double-figure deficit to beat their fiercest rivals, it was the Blue Devils’ turn to flip the script.
Duke trailed by 11 with 14 1/2 minutes to play before the ACC’s top offense finally found its rhythm, hitting four 3s in 4 1/2 minutes to erase that deficit. That came as part of a 25-10 burst keyed by six 3s that put the Blue Devils ahead to stay.
BIG PICTURE
North Carolina: The Tar Heels had a chance to spoil Duke’s Senior Night for the third time in their last four regular-season-ending visits to Cameron, and sweep their fiercest rivals. Instead they’ll enter the postseason on a two-game losing streak.
Duke: This very well might have been the final game at Cameron for a good chunk of the starting five, with Allen — the team’s lone senior — surrounded by three potential one-and-done freshmen and coach Mike Krzyzewski acknowledging in the leadup to the game that “it’s the last game probably for a few of our other kids, too.” The offense came alive just in time to send Allen — and maybe the others — out the way they wanted.
UP NEXT
North Carolina: Heads to the ACC Tournament next week in Brooklyn.
Duke: Heads to the ACC Tournament next week in Brooklyn.
