MENS BASKETBALL
Duke 77, Virginia Tech 67
JIMMY ROBERTSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BLACKSBURG, Va. - Jeremy Roach scored 16 points off the bench to lead No. 7 Duke to a 77-67 victory over Virginia Tech.
Roach shot 5 of 11 from the floor and made four 3-pointers for the Blue Devils (16-4, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have won three straight games and 11 of 12.
MJ Collins paced the Hokies (13-8, 5-5) with 17 points. Virginia Tech had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Duke grabbed the lead with a 12-0 run in the first half and never relinquished it. The Hokies cut a 35-29 halftime deficit to three on three occasions in the second half, with the final time coming on Hunter Cattoor’s 3-pointer with 14:07 remaining.
The Blue Devils, though, gradually pulled away behind 59.3% shooting in the final 20 minutes (16 of 27). Kyle Filipowski added 14 points for Duke, and Tyrese Proctor finished with 12.
Cattoor had 15 points for the Hokies. Sean Pedulla and Lynn Kidd scored 12 apiece.
BIG PICTURE
Duke: The Blue Devils played like a top-10 team, shooting well (55.4%) and dominating the rebounding category (38-20) in handing Virginia Tech just its second home loss this season. They also won at Cassell Coliseum, where they had lost five of their past six visits.
Virginia Tech: The Hokies squandered a great opportunity to enhance their NCAA Tournament resume. With their NET ranking hovering in the mid-40s and only one ranked opponent left on their schedule at the moment — at No. 3 North Carolina — they’re running out of time and opportunities and may need some help from others down the stretch to secure an at-large bid.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
January 29, 2024
