Duke Outlasts Wake Forest in ACC Semifinals
CHARLOTTE -- The upset bug was alive and well in the Charlotte Coliseum Saturday, but Duke, unlike top-seeded Maryland, did not get bitten.
Only 30 minutes after N.C. State stunned the college basketball world with its defeat of championship favorite Maryland in the first semifinal game, the Blue Devils demonstrated they had no intention of suffering the same fate as the Terrapins. Jumping out to a 20-point lead early in the first half and holding back numerous Demon Deacon rallies the entire game, Duke advanced to the tournament finals, held Sunday at 1 p.m., with a 79-64 win over Wake Forest.
"We did not want to overlook [Wake Forest] and think about Sunday," junior Mike Dunleavy said of Duke's pre-game mindset, as players heard that N.C. State had nearly completed its surprising victory. "We were really focused on the game today. I think that showed coming out of the gates."
After being forced to play an atypically slow-paced contest in their first-round matchup against North Carolina, the Blue Devils made it their priority to play an up-tempo style from the opening tip. Three-pointers by guard Chris Duhon and forward Mike Dunleavy allowed Duke to gain an early 10-4 advantage, forcing Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser to use an early timeout. Prosser's attempt to stop the Deacons' bleeding was unsuccessful, though, as Boozer scored six points and Dunleavy recorded five, allowing Duke to push its margin
"Because we weren't playing up and down today, I thought we were all excited to come out and play a more traditional style of basketball," Dunleavy said. "I think that's why you saw us early in the first half playing like we did. I guess that's why we came out so fired up today."
Wake, flustered by Duke's early dominance, finally settled down midway through the first half, cutting the Blue Devils' lead to as little as five points with a Broderick Hicks layup as time expired in the first half. The offensive spark provided by Hicks and senior center Darius Songaila, coupled with Prosser's decision to employ a tight zone defense that prevented Duke from feeding the ball into the ACC's leading field goal shooter, Carlos Boozer, were keys to Wake's clawing back into the ballgame.
However, as the game progressed, the Demon Deacons were never able to surmount Duke's tenuous but constant lead. Wake cut Duke's lead to one point at 51-50 with 11:12 left, but after a miss by the Deacs' Craig Dawson and a 30-second timeout by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, Blue Devil freshman Daniel Ewing drained a three-pointer to give his team some breathing room.
Less than two minutes later, Duke guard Chris Duhon assisted teammate Jason Wiliams in the left corner for another trifecta, increasing the Blue Devils' lead to 61-55, and on Duke's next possession, Ewing nailed another three from the same spot to push the Blue
"I think we had three opportunities down one to take the lead, and that would have been really important," Prosser said. "The zone helped us,
but they're ultimately going to make shots. And when they score, we're in trouble."
Another sign of trouble for Wake Forest was its foul trouble up front, as Boozer confined Songaila and Deacon center Antwan Scott to the bench for much of the second half. Songaila eventually fouled out, but even before he did so, the Juneau, Ak., native dominated the paint, shooting 7-of-8 from the field and grabbing 16 rebounds. "I thought Carlos was sensational," Krzyzewski said. "The other thing about Carlos is that he has provided leadership. If you could hear some of the things he says to the team on the bench and in the huddles' to see him develop like that, there's a maturity there that only comes with the experience of playing in these games. He's showing it and I'm very proud of how he's playing."
Notes: Duke will face N.C. State in the ACC finals at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.... The Blue Devils defeated the Wolfpack handily both times during the regular season, winning 76-57 in Raleigh Jan. 13 and 108-71 Feb. 14 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.... Jason Williams hurt his right hip late in the second half, but he said after the game that he will be ready to play in Sunday's final.
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