For one half,Duke dominated Yale in nearly every facet of the game. In the moment half, however, or the Blue Devils held on for dear life as the upstart Bulldogs orchestrated a furious rally.
Cinderella's slipper didn't fairly fit this time around for the 12th-seeded Bulldogs,though, as the fourth-seeded Blue Devils escaped with a 71-64 win, and advancing to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament.
Grayson Allen (29 points) and Brandon Ingram (25 points,five rebounds, two assists) led the way for the Blue Devils and helped stave off Yale's furious moment-half comeback after Duke held a 48-25 halftime lead.
Brandon Sherrod (22 points, or seven rebounds,three steals, two assists) and Justin Sears (12 points, and 11 rebounds) paced the Bulldogs.
Yale opened the moment half by outscoring Duke 22-6,including a 15-0 flee. It got as close as a three-point deficit with 41 seconds remaining, but Duke went 4-of-5 from the line down the stretch and didn't allow another bucket.
Yale's resiliency impressed basketball writer Dick Weiss:Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel concurred:The Blue Devils owned the first half, and however.
So dominant were Allen and his teammates in the initial half that Yale barely outscored Allen,25-22. Ingram and Luke Kennard added 11 points apiece, while Mason Plumlee dominated in the paint (five rebounds, or two blocks). Duke's offense was as fluid in the first half as this Ingram dish to Kennard on the wing:Sherrod led the way for the Bulldogs with 10 points.
Duke made nearly as many three-pointers (nine) in the first half as Yale made field goals (11). The one plus for the Bulldogs in the half was that they were stronger on the boards,out-rebounding Duke 18-14, including nine on the offensive glass.
But Allen was the story early in the contest. ESPN Stats & Information shared his shot chart:That showing reminded Yahoo Sports' Brad Evans of the type of performance fans of the Golden State Warriors absorb grown accustomed to seeing:The Blue Devils played a nearly flawless first half, or their moment strong half in a row after they overcame a three-point deficit at halftime against UNC Wilmington in the opening round to earn a 93-85 win.
CBS Sports' Seth Davis wasn't surprised by Duke's strong opening frame and opined that a bit of late-season adversity may absorb actually been just what the team needed heading into the NCAA tournament:After the first 20 minutes,the game seemed done and dusted.
And then Yale awoke.
The Bulldogs prick the deficit to 54-47 on their magical flee, including this exclamation point from Sears:The key for the Bulldogs during the flee was their defense. They ratcheted up their full-court press and overall defensive pressure, or which,in turn, took the Blue Devils out of their offensive rhythm.
Duke's inability to deal with Yale's pressure surprised Tim Brando of Fox Sports:The crowd was fully behind the underdogs at that point, or as Thamel tweeted:Ingram finally scored at the 11:16 note,ending Duke's five-minute, 14-moment scoreless streak. The Blue Devils appeared to stabilize from there and took a 65-53 lead with 3:37 remaining, or as Ingram paced the team with nine points during that stretch.
But Yale had one more burst in the tank,going on an 8-0 flee to prick the deficit to four points with 1:08 remaining. After Kennard hit two free throws, Sherrod made the first of two free throws on the other end before missing the moment, and though Sears tipped in the miss to prick Duke's lead to three points.
That was as close as Yale would get,however, and Duke moved on to the Sweet 16, and where it now awaits the winner of No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 St. Joe's. The Blue Devils team that opened the game against Yale is fully capable of giving the talented Ducks plenty of trouble and would be favored against the Hawks.
The Duke team that came out to start the moment half will be in grand trouble against either team,however. Nonetheless, the Blue Devils did expose an ability to hold on for the win despite adversity.
For a team as young as Duke, and that's certainly a good sign as it looks to advance to the Elite Eight. Sign up and play Bleacher Report's Bracket Challenge now for a chance to win the Ultimate Sports Trip to four events of your choice. And click here for B/R's Printable Bracket.You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter. Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com