BROOKLYN, N.Y. – No. 7 Duke used a 10-0 run over the final three minutes of the second half to earn an 88-79 win over Syracuse in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals on Thursday at Barclays Center.
Junior Wendell Moore Jr., scored a career-high 26 points and sophomore Jeremy Roach had 19 – 16 in the second half – to lead the Blue Devils (27-5). Duke advances to Friday’s semifinal, where it will face Miami at 7 p.m.
After a Jimmy Boeheim put-back put Syracuse ahead 79-78 with 3:32 left, Duke grinded out its next four points – two free throws from Moore and a tough layup by freshman Paolo Banchero – to reclaim the lead. The Blue Devil defense stepped up on the ensuing possession, as sophomore Mark Williams rejected a Boeheim jumper in the lane before Banchero came up with a steal. Roach followed up with a three-pointer from the wing to increase the lead to six with just over a minute remaining.
Coming off ACC postseason award recognitions, the conference’s Freshman of the Year in Banchero and Defensive Player of the Year in Williams each recorded a double-double Thursday. Banchero netted 10 points and 10 rebounds while also dishing out seven assists and swiping five steals. Williams, meanwhile, had 15 points after being held scoreless at halftime and brought down 16 boards. Freshman Trevor Keels added 14 on 6-of-11 shooting.
Boeheim (28 points) and Joseph Girard III (23) kept the Orange in the game with their hot shooting from three-point range. Syracuse (16-17) finished the afternoon 13-of-31 from deep and opened the half 3-of-3 behind the arc to build a seven-point advantage. The Blue Devils kept chipping away and were able to string together key defensive stops before four straight points from Moore got them back on top.
The teams traded baskets down the stretch, but Roach proved to be the difference, as the sophomore guard knocked down four triples in the final 13 minutes.
Moore had a team-high eight assists with just one turnover. As a team, Duke finished with 24 helpers, the third time this year it recorded 20+ assists against Syracuse. The Blue Devils also held a 40-14 edge in points in the paint.
Duke’s semifinal game will tip at 7 p.m. Friday on ESPN.
