Duke Takes Round 1, Defeats Virginia, 72-70

Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett combined for all but 15 of top-ranked Duke’s points Saturday, as the Blue Devils held on to give No. 4 Virginia its first loss of the season in a 72-70 barn burner at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Virginia (16-1, 4-1 ACC) connected on just one field goal for a stretch of over nine minutes late in the contest, and Duke (15-2, 4-1) made good on 7 of 10 trips to the free-throw line over the final 1:09 to survive and end the nation’s longest overall win streak of 16 games (also the country’s longest road win streak of 13).

The Cavaliers now sit in a six-way tie atop the ACC standings with Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Louisville and Syracuse.

The Blue Devils grabbed a lead early on with the help of offensive rebounds and stickbacks, and stayed on top until halftime but never led by more than 7 in the first half. Duke had nine offensive rebounds over the opening 20 minutes, which translated into 11 second-chance points as UVA trailed 37-32 at the half.

Virginia shot 58 percent from the field prior to the break, but connected on just 1 of 8 from long range. Williamson and Barrett each posted 14 points in the first half.

The Wahoos, who entered the game as the final unbeaten team in the country, took their first lead, 43-42, since the 16:15 mark of the first half on a pair of Braxton Key free throws with exactly 14 minutes left in the game. From that point on, the lead changed hands 11 times as the teams went blow-for-blow.

Ty Jerome hit a floater in the lane with 9:50 to play, and the ‘Hoos went on to miss 11 of their next 12 shots from the field, but managed to stay within three points or less during that stretch — until a late Duke flurry swung the momentum with time winding down.

Barrett split a pair from the stripe to give Duke the lead for good, 55-54, with 8:36 to go. Up by 1, Barrett scored on a tough bucket to make it 63-60 with just over three minutes to play.

Kyle Guy had a wide-open look at a 3 to tie it up on the ensuing trip but couldn’t connect, and then Barrett scored Duke’s sixth consecutive make with 2:18 left. Jerome missed a long 3 on Virginia’s next possession and then De’Andre Hunter had a layup roll around the rim and out with a little more than a minute to go.

Barrett, who misfired on four freebies earlier in the game, went 4 for 4 from the line in the final minute and gave Duke a 69-61 lead with 44 seconds left.

Key dunked one home with 37 ticks showing to pull the Cavaliers back to within two possessions, then Guy nailed an open triple after two FT misses by Williamson on the other end, and UVA was down by just three, 69-66, with 23 seconds remaining. That 3-pointer tied Guy for 8th place on the school’s career list at 185 with Wahoo great Malcolm Brogdon.

Cam Reddish made his first free throw to make it a two-possession game but missed the second with 8 seconds left, as Hunter knocked down a jumper on the final scramble just as the final horn sounded.

Barrett led all scorers with 30 points (11 for 19 FG) to go with 5 rebounds and 3 assists, while Williamson finished with 27 points (10 for 16) and a game-high 9 boards. Reddish had 9 points and 8 rebounds, and only two other Duke players scored — Jack White had 4 points and Marques Bolden had 2. The Devils shot 51 percent on the night (26 for 51), 14 percent from downtown (2 for 14).

UVA was led by Hunter’s 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Guy (6 for 12, 2 for 7 from 3) and Jerome (6 for 13, 1 for 5) each finished with 14 points, while Key added 11 off the bench.

Virginia shot 53 percent (28 for 53) from the field and just 3 for 17 (18 percent) from long range. Although the ‘Hoos outrebounded Duke 18-12 after halftime, the Devils won the overall battle of the boards, 32-30. Each side committed 8 turnovers.

Virginia returns to John Paul Jones Arena Tuesday at 9 p.m. against Wake Forest (8-9, 1-4).