NCAA News Wire

Duke 80, Pittsburgh 65

Alan Draper profile picture
Sports Editor
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PITTSBURGH — Freshman forward Jabari Parker scored a game-high 21 points and senior guard Andre Dawkins came off the bench to score 20 points and spark a decisive second-half run as the No. 17 Duke Blue Devils beat the No. 18 Pittsburgh Panthers 80-65 on Monday night.

Dawkins made seven of nine shots from the field, including six of seven from 3-point range. Duke (17-4 overall and 6-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) is 10-0 this season when Dawkins scores in double figures.

Parker also had 11 rebounds for his third straight double-double and seventh of the season. Sophomore forward Amile Jefferson added 14 points and 10 rebounds and sophomore forward Rodney Hood finished with 13 points.

Pitt (18-3, 6-2) was led by senior forward Lamar Patterson’s 14 points. Senior center Talib Zanna had 11 points and 11 rebounds and sophomore guard James Robinson added 10 points and five assists.

Idle Virginia (15-5, 6-1) took over sole possession of second place in the ACC with Pitt’s loss. Duke (17-4, 6-2) and Pitt (18-3, 6-2) are now tied for third while No. 2 Syracuse (19-0, 6-0) remains atop the standings.

The top four teams meet this weekend. Duke visits Syracuse on Saturday and Pitt hosts Virginia on Sunday.

Duke took the lead for good at 44-40 with 15:24 left after a jumper by Hood and a layup by Johnson.

An 18-6 run increased the Blue Devils’ lead to a commanding 72-57 with 3:16 remaining. Dawkins sparked the surge with 11 points, nine coming on three 3-pointers.

After Pitt closed to 72-62, Dawkins put the Panthers away by draining another 3 with 2:10 to go.

Parker scored 16 points in the first half as Duke took a 34-32 lead at intermission.

It was a closely contested half that included nine lead changes and five ties.

Duke did not take its first lead until Dawkins made a 3-point field goal with 5:24 left to put the Blue Devils on top 24-21. The lead then changed five times before Hood nailed a trey to give Duke a two-point lead at the break.

NOTES: This was hyped as the biggest regular-season college basketball game ever played in Pittsburgh, and some evidence came in the fact that seats were going for as much as $1,200 apiece on the secondary ticket market. … Both coaches — Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and Pitt’s Jamie Dixon — took part in a pregame ceremony honoring Dick Groat, who was an All-America guard at Duke in the 1950s and has served as the color commentator on Pitt radio broadcasts for 35 years. … Duke last played at Pitt on Jan, 12, 1974, with the Panthers winning 64-42 at Fitzgerald Field House. The schools’ last meeting overall came on Dec. 20, 2007, with Pitt winning 65-64 in the Aeropostale Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York. … The game marked the 23rd time that ranked teams met in the 12-year history of the Petersen Events Center.

Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.

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