CLEMSON, S.C. -- The critics that call the Duke Blue Devils (20-1, 8-1 in the ACC) a soft basketball team should have witnessed Saturday night's contest, which featured an uncharacteristic Mike Dunleavy furiously wrestling for the ball after the whistle blew and an enraged Larry Shyatt running down the sidelines towards the Duke bench, only to be consoled by coach Mike Krzyzewski.
The fast-paced game catered to Duke's style and included several comebacks by the Clemson Tigers (11-11, 2-7) before the Blue Devils prevailed 98-88 in a raucous Littlejohn Coliseum.
After numerous turnovers and costly mistakes early in the second half, the Blue Devils found themselves nip and tuck with the Tigers. With five minutes remaining and the score 78-76 in favor of Duke, Chris Duhon pulled up in transition and nailed a three-pointer that gave the Blue Devils a crucial five-point lead. The sophomore's basket started a 10-0 run that put the game in the hands of Duke, which has not lost a game since Jan. 6 when it fell to Florida State.
"I was just going with the opportunity that I had," Duhon said about his pivotal three-pointer. "I had a lot of confidence to hit the big shot."
A few possessions later, Dunleavy, who finished with 22 points, and Clemson forward Tomas Nagys found themselves fighting over a loose ball, and the referee blew the whistle, but play
"It came down to Nagys--he likes to play dirty," Dunleavy said. "If he wants to do that, that's fine, but I'm not going to back down to him. He used some interesting words, and all I know is I ended up with the ball and we won the game."
In the opening four minutes of the game in Clemson, S.C., Duke held a 10-9 lead that was fueled by consecutive three-pointers by Dahntay Jones and Jason Williams. The Tigers were battling intensely from the opening tip and feeding off the crowd that was craving for an upset of No. 1 Duke. After the game, Williams, who had a game-high 28 points, discussed his emotions during the ACC matchup.
"I'm just glad we came out with the win today," Williams said. "They are a good team. You have to respect how they played."
In the next segment of the first half, junior swingman Mike Dunleavy had two identical three-point plays on left-handed layups and put his team up 25-20. Tony Stockman, the Tigers' shooting guard, came up with a clutch three-pointer to slow Duke's run for a few seconds until Williams promptly answered with two of his own long-range daggers. The Blue Devils seized a 13-point lead and traded baskets with the Tigers for the remainder of the half until Clemson made a late surge, including four points in the final two seconds. Duke guard Chris Duhon, who tallied 15 points and six assists, sensed the fierce Tiger squad from the onset of the game and helped push his Blue Devil teammates to victory.
"We made some key plays," Duhon said. "They fought hard and played an excellent game, and that happens when you play at home and you are a hungry team. They came out and played with a lot of emotion."
The second half began just as the first 20 minutes ended for the Tigers as Stockman stepped up again with back-to-back drives to the bucket to close the margin to six points with less than two minutes into the second half. Dunleavy knew the burst of energy from Clemson to start the half was drawn from Duke's mental lapse at the end of the first 20 minutes.
"It started off giving them momentum with four points in one second," Dunleavy said. "We didn't finish the half right, and it continued over and made it a close ballgame."
After another late-game scuffle between Jones and Shyatt, the Blue Devils were able to leave Littlejohn triumphant. The win, however, tested Duke's durability and mental capacity in a tough environment. Krzyzewski was satisfied with the win, and knew his team persevered.
"I'm smiling now," he said, "but I was sweating for about 40 minutes."
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