Virginia Commonwealth guard Troy Daniels (30) and Duke guard Tyler Thornton (3) dive for a loose ball in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, Friday, Nov. 23, 2012 in Paradise Island, Bahamas. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — Mason Plumlee, a 6-foot-10 center who helped break VCU’s pressure, had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 5 Duke to a 67-58 victory over the Rams on Friday night In the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Plumlee, who had 20 points and 17 rebounds in the opening-round win over Minnesota, brought the ball across midcourt several times in each half to help the Blue Devils withstand the pressure defense VCU calls “havoc.”
Both teams played good defense and made it tough to score. Both teams combined four field goals over the final 8 minutes and half of those came in the final 17 seconds.
The Blue Devils (5-0) will meet the winner of the game between No. 2 Louisville and No. 13 Missouri in the championship game on Saturday night.