RALEIGH - Coach K has joined the 800 Club.
DeMarcus Nelson scored 19 points to propel Duke to a 87-86 victory over N.C. State in the RBC Center Saturday, making head coach Mike Krzyzewski the sixth Division-I coach to reach the 800-win plateau.
"It is hard to put it in perspective right now," Krzyzewski said. "You just get a little bit emotional."
Although the Wolfpack (15-11, 4-11 in the ACC) dominated for long stretches of Saturday's game and opened up a 13-point lead before the midway point of the second half, the Blue Devils (25-3, 12-2) slowly chipped away before Nelson and Paulus both hit 3-pointers 30 seconds apart to even the score at 85. Ben McCauley hit a free throw with 1:11 left to break the tie, but Nelson stepped to the line 10 seconds later and coolly swished a pair of free throws to give Duke its first lead since the eight-minute mark of the first half.
N.C. State regained possession of the ball with five seconds left, but a desperation shot by McCauley well outside the 3-point arc failed to find the rim, launching an impromptu celebration from Duke's players and coaches.
"Our guys made remarkable plays in the last eight minutes," Krzyzewski said. "We're fortunate to win, but if our kids had not played that way, the team that played better for most of the game would have won.
"Sometimes the basketball gods smile on you, and they smiled on us today."
Check back with The Chronicle Monday for more coverage of Krzyzewski's milestone win.
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