In its first game in a week and a half, No. 6 Duke needed a late run to finally put away unranked Kent State.
The Blue Devils (10-1), who had not played a game during the final exam period, showed promise on offense in their 79-72 victory Tuesday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Sophomore forward Josh McRoberts was Duke's rock down the stretch, scoring 11 of his 19 points in the second half. Duke was also paced by an 18-point effort from DeMarcus Nelson and 17 from freshman Jon Scheyer.
The Golden Flashes (5-4) led by three points midway through the second half, but with the score knotted at 57 at the eight-minute mark, McRoberts keyed a 1-0 Duke run over the next three minutes.
Kent State's final-minute press would give Duke's guards trouble, but the lead the Blue Devils had already built was too much to overcome.
Duke extended its non-conference, home winning streak to 49, the nation's longest.
Scheyer scored 10 points in a 14-0 Duke run to put the Blue Devils up, 16-4, before the first media timeout.
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