Despite erasing a 16-point deficit in the second half to force overtime, an 0-for-6 performance from the free-throw line in overtime proved to be Duke’s undoing in a 78-74 loss to Miami Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It was No. 7 Duke’s second loss in its last three home games, and the first overtime game in Cameron since the Blue Devils won in extra time against Miami in 2009.
The Hurricanes established their inside presence early by repeatedly feeding the ball to junior center Reggie Johnson. The 6-foot-10, 284-pound center set the tone by scoring Miami’s first six points of the game. He would finish the first half with a team-high 10 points.
“He dominated the paint, is the bottom line,” Ryan Kelly said. “He rebounded every missed shot they had. He got whatever he wanted and really hurt us.”
Miami (14-7, 5-3 in the ACC) compounded its inside threat with lights-out shooting. In the first half, the Hurricanes shot 47.1 percent from the field. They were also accurate from beyond the arc, shooting 5-of-12 behind forward Kenny Kadji and guard Shane Larkin, who each made two timely 3-pointers in the first half.
On the offensive side of the ball, Duke (19-4, 6-2) failed to create any momentum as it shot 36.7 percent from the field in the first half, well below their season average of 48.8 percent entering the game. Big plays from guard Austin Rivers, who led Duke with 11 points in the opening half, kept the Blue Devils within striking distance.
Nevertheless, Miami continued to respond after each Duke score, and a dunk by Rion Brown sparked a 20-6 Miami run that gave the Hurricanes a 14-point lead heading into the locker room.
“This game was a tale of two halves, and that was the problem,” Rivers said. “We played terribly in the first half. We had no fight on defense. You can’t play hard in one half and expect to win.”
In the second half, Quinn Cook, Curry and Rivers combined to provide a spark to the Duke offense. A bucket each from Cook and Rivers and a 3-pointer from Curry cut into Miami’s lead, but the Hurricanes continued to produce as Johnson hit two layups and bullied the Blue Devils for putbacks after offensive rebounds.
“Rebounding is basically effort,” Miami head coach Jim Larranaga said. “And our effort was a little greater today in that area, both defensively and [in] rebounding. It was an area that our guys had been working on and getting a little bit better at, but today was really more of a culmination of days of work that finally paid off for them.”
Kelly and Curry hit back-to-back 3-pointers that started a 16-2 Duke run that brought the Blue Devils within two with 8:33 to play in regulation. Although Duke’s shooting improved, it was a concentrated defensive effort and a focus on trapping the ball down low that helped Duke cut into the deficit.
“We got more aggressive on the defensive end,” Curry said. “We played the ball screen a lot more aggressively, and we were able to rotate faster and get some steals and buckets. I think our defensive mindset was just to force turnovers.”
In the end of the second half, Curry and Rivers took control of the game, drawing fouls and hitting jumpers to keep the Blue Devils close. Curry finished the game with a team-high 22 points and Rivers with 20. With 2:49 to play in regulation, Curry hit a jumper that gave the Blue Devils their first lead since 7:52 remained in the first half, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Despite Duke’s apparent momentum, Johnson hit two baskets, sandwiching a Kelly layup, to keep Miami up by one. Johnson finished the game with 27 points and 12 rebounds.
“I thought Johnson was spectacular,” Krzyzewski said. “We played outstanding defense on Johnson at the end of regulation. It’s just brute strength that helped him score a couple of those. It wasn’t bad defense. He just made some big plays.”
With 21 seconds left in regulation, Rivers stood at the charity stripe with the Blue Devils trailing by one. He missed his first attempt, but made the second to tie up the game. On the last series of regulation, Duke was able to hold off a dangerous Johnson down low and force the game into overtime.
“Our defense was very good the last 16 minutes—I mean really good,” Krzyzewski said. “That’s what got us back in the game. We missed open shots. We missed a couple of shots right by the basket in those last 16 minutes. I thought we played well enough to win in those 16 minutes, but we didn’t close the deal with some shots inside and free throws.”
In overtime, Johnson came out strong and gave his team a four-point lead in the opening minutes, but a 3-pointer from Kelly and a powerful dunk from Mason Plumlee kept it close.
Yet in the last two minutes, free throws decided the game in Miami’s favor. Johnson and guard DeQuan Jones each sank two free throws to seal the win for Miami, while Duke was 0-of-6 at the line. Curry, Rivers and Cook each missed two free throws in overtime.
“Every loss hurts the same to me,” Cook said. “But we fought so hard to come back, and to lose it all at the end just really hurts. You have to give all the credit to Miami, they played two great halves of basketball.”
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