MENS BASKETBALL
Duke 78, Baylor 70
BY MIKE FITZPATRICK
Associated Press
NEW YORK - Jared McCain scored 21 points and reserve forward Ryan Young was right in the middle of the decisive surge down the stretch as No. 21 Duke beat No. 10 Baylor 78-70 at Madison Square Garden.
Jeremy Roach added 18 points and Kyle Filipowski had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils (8-3) in a matchup between two of the past eight national champions.
RayJ Dennis had 17 points and Ja’Kobe Walter scored 15 for the Bears (9-2), who lost for the second time in five days following a 9-0 start.
The score was tied at 61 with six minutes left before Duke reeled off nine straight points as part of a 14-1 run to take control. With Filipowski, a preseason All-American, on the bench with four fouls, Young made the go-ahead layup off a feed from Roach.
Roach hit a stepback jumper and then Young found McCain for a 3-pointer before grabbing a tough rebound and sinking two free throws to cap the 9-0 spurt.
Young, a fifth-year captain who plays limited minutes, received a huge ovation from Duke fans in the crowd of 18,512 when he went back to the bench. His four points pushed him past 1,000 in a career that began at Northwestern.
Duke freshman Caleb Foster started again for injured point guard Tyrese Proctor, who missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle. Proctor got hurt early in a 72-68 loss Dec. 2 at Georgia Tech.
BIG PICTURE
Baylor: With six players averaging at least 10 points per game, the balanced Bears were much more competitive than Saturday when they were blown out by unranked Michigan State in Detroit. But they’ve dropped two in a row following a 9-0 start.
Duke: Playing for the first time in eight days following their exam break, the Blue Devils won their third straight overall following two consecutive losses on the road. They improved to 41-18 at Madison Square Garden with their best win of the season, and Duke fans chanted “Our house! Our house!” in the final seconds.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
December 20, 2023
