Now, it's onto the postgame speeches from the seniors.
End of Game: Duke 70, Clemson 59
After a timeout, Coach K has inserted Casey Peters into the lineup. What a thrill and reward for someone who has put in as much practice time as anyone else over the last couple seasons.
37.6 2nd Half: Duke 69, Clemson 59
On consecutive possessions, Nolan Smith has been called for offensive fouls. Following a Jerai Grant putback and then a Tanner Smith runner, the Tigers have cut the lead to six. Answering the call for Duke is none other than Nolan Smith as he kisses one off the glass despite having Stitt right on his hip to put Duke back up 67-59. After back-to-back Duke misses, Smith puts the game away for good for Duke with a slam dunk in transition.
3:49 2nd Half: Duke 64, Clemson 55
Clemson's Tanner Smith threads the needle to a cutting Andre Young whose layup cuts the Blue Devil lead to five. Duke would answer, though, as Curry drains a 3-pointer. Kyle Singler just got a standing ovation from the crowd after he sent Narcisse's dunk attempt into the band's section. Following two Singler free throws making the score Duke 60-50, the Cameron crowd is imploring their team to blow this game open. Clemson is refusing to go away even after three Curry free throws, as Booker hits a 3-ball.
7:41 2nd Half: Duke 55, Clemson 48
Turnovers are still looming as a large problem for Duke. One by Singler and one by Smith on the first two possessions out of the timeout. However, after a lackluster first half, Mason Plumlee is really stepping up. He had a big block on Devin Booker on one end and followed that up with a two-handed slam on the other.
Also of importance is that Duke is now in the bonus for the rest of the half as Stitt just lost his cool and committed a frustration foul following a turnover. After Smith missed his second free throw, Singler made a hustle play to retain possession (and a converted Curry jumper) for the Blue Devils. He may be going down as one of the best players in Duke history, but he still plays his heart out.
On a side note, just got word from our editor, Andy Moore, that Stitt is playing with strep throat. If that's the case, the kid is making a very valiant effort tonight.
Another big block for Mason Plumlee as he sent Cory Stanton's runner back where it came from, and Duke is still up seven with Plumlee headed to the line for a one-and-one.
11:57 2nd Half: Duke 50, Clemson 47
After Clemson fumbled a rebound out of bounds, Singler kicked it out to Smith, leaving him with a wide open look from deep that he knocked down.Clemson responded with a pair of free throws from Jerai Grant. And, wow, Mason Plumlee just made a move that reminds us of why NBA scouts are drooling over his potential. He made a nice spin move and threw in a jumphook from eight feet. Then, Plumlee followed that up with a steal that led to a Singler lay-in. I don't think I have ever seen the younger Plumlee this fired up. Still, Clemson is not going away. The talented Jennings had another tough finish and is reminding people why he was a McDonald's All-American. And, after another Duke turnover, Stitt converts a 3-point play to bring the Tigers back within three.
15:27 2nd Half: No. 4 Duke 43, Clemson 38
Singler gets the half started the right way for the Blue Devils with a face-up jump shot. Stitt answers that score with a two of his own. Duke got three chances on its next possession but couldn't score. However, Clemson is looking a little fatigued on the glass. Maybe I spoke too soon as Milton Jennings has a putback on Clemson's next possession to even the score at 38. Looking more comfortable at the line than he has all season, Mason Plumlee sinks two free throws, and he is perfect from the stripe after two trips. Good ball movement for Duke on the next trip down, and Curry cans an open three-ball from the corner to stretch the Duke lead to five.
Halftime: No. 4 Duke 36, Clemson 34
Mason Plumlee sank two free throws to put Duke up by two.
The last game at Cameron this year provided a very exciting first half. The first ten minutes played out pretty evenly, before Duke went on a run and pulled away to the tune of a 31-20 lead. However, Clemson would roar back with 12 straight points. Guard Demontez Stitt is really the engine that drives the Clemson offense, and he has done a nice job setting up his teammates in good positions to score. For Duke, Singler and Smith have combined for 22 points, and for Duke to pull away for good, contributions from the support cast will be needed. Also, Duke needs to tighten it up a bit on the offensive end, as the first saw them commit nine turnovers.
1:53 1st Half: No. 4 Duke 34, Clemson 34
Another Duke turnover and Clemson's Andre Young sank a three, followed by a nice put-back from Stitt off the glass. Kelly responded for Duke with a trey from the corner, but Narcisse added another bucket for Clemson to tie up this game. The pace of this game is picking up, and some other Blue Devils are going to have to step up and generate some offense. Singler and Smith can't shoulder the entire burden, though they're putting forth an outstanding effort thus far.
4:12 1st Half: No. 4 Duke 31, Clemson 27
Clemson's Demontez Stitt made a dirty move to the bucket and picked up the foul to complete the And-1. Bryan Narcisse added two, and Clemson's 7-0 run has brought them to within four.
5:25 1st Half: No. 4 Duke 31, Clemson 20
After missing a three-point attempt in the corner, Curry had another chance for three on the next possession from the opposite corner and nailed it. Duke has now stretched the lead to 11 as Brownell calls another timeout.
7:08 1st Half: No. 4 Duke 26, Clemson 20
Smith drove into the mid-range and hit a nice jumper. He's being very assertive tonight, already tallying 12 points. There was a quick timeout by Clemson coach Brad Brownell to slow down the Duke offense.
7:48 1st Half: No. 4 Duke 22, Clemson 20
A smooth pull-up jumper brought Smith's total to eight points, and then Ryan Kelly made his presence felt by blocking a ball eight rows up into the student section. Devin Booker has given Clemson a boost, adding five points during this stretch off of a three-pointer and a jumper. Just before the official timeout, Smith may have gotten away with a charge as he ran over Clemson's Zavier Anderson. Smith then passed to Kelly, who threw down a two-handed dunk. Kelly's bucket was the first points scored by a Blue Devil other than Singler, Smith and Curry.
11:33 1st Half: No. 4 Duke 15, Clemson 13
After a time out, Singler made an impressive drive to the hoop, powering through two defenders to lay it in the basket. On the next possession, Curry hit a floater in the lane and then stole the ball on defense. On the ensuing Duke possession, Smith made a dirty move to the hoop but was denied by Clemson sophomore Milton Jennings. Jennings also had a nice dribble and drive for two. After the Blue Devils stole the ball again, Smith threw down a ferocious break-away dunk that sent the Crazies into a frenzy. Curry added another jumper, but Duke's six turnovers to this point are giving the Tigers plenty of opportunities to keep this game close.
16:22 1st Half: No. 4 Duke 6, Clemson 4
After a slow start for both teams, Kyle Singer put Duke on the board with a three-pointer from the top of they key. On the next possession, the other senior on the court, Smith, nailed a trey from the corner. For Clemson, Jerai Grant hit a base line jumper and then Tanner Smith hit a lay-up to give Clemson four. Perhaps Duke is a little too amped up, as they have already committed three turnovers and a failed alley-oop to Miles Plumlee on an in-bounds pass.
Pregame:
Hello everyone and welcome to The Chronicle's live blog of tonight's ACC matchup between No. 4 Duke and Clemson. It's senior night in Cameron Indoor Stadium, and the atmosphere is tense as the Cameron Crazies prepare to watch Duke seniors Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Casey Peters take the floor at home for the last time. As the seniors try to finish their careers with a strong performance in front of the home crowd, they are more focused on earning a win to stay atop the ACC standings heading into this weekend's showdown with cross-town rival No. 13 North Carolina. Duke's won 13 straight aginst the Tigers, but Clemson is a dangerous team that can frustrate opponents with their ferocious defense. The Tigers have only given up an average of 60 points per game this season, which ranks them 12th in the nation. Duke's high-powered offense averages 82.1 points per game, so something will have to give tonight. The Clemson offense is led by Demontez Stitt and Jerai Grant, who are averaging 14.1 and 12.4 points per game, respectively. Meanwhile Duke will look to seniors Singler and Smith to step up and have big performances on their senior night.
Starting lineups:
Duke
#2 Nolan Smith guard
#30 Seth Curry guard
#34 Ryan Kelly forward
#12 Kyle Singler forward
#5 Mason Plumlee forward
Clemson
#2 Demontez Stitt guard
#11 Andre Young guard
#5 Tanner Smith forward
#31 Devin Booker forward
#45 Jerai Grant forward
Duke is honoring its seniors before tonight's game, and the Cameron crowd is giving Casey Peters a standing ovation. Peters started out as a manager and earned a spot on the team as a walk-on. For Singler and Smith, they have too may accolades to name because tip-off is at nine, but the crowd is giving them both a long, raucous ovation. This dynamic duo will be missed next year.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.