No. 2 Duke Comes Up Short Against Miami, 76-74

DURHAM – A Paolo Banchero breakaway dunk gave No. 2 Duke a three-point lead with 34 seconds remaining, but Miami came through with a pair of buckets and timely free throws in the closing moments as the Hurricanes defeated the Blue Devils, 76-74, Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

After falling behind 74-71 on the Banchero dunk, Miami pushed the ball down the court and got it to Charlie Moore, who drove the lane and finished a layup while being fouled. Moore missed the ensuing free throw, but Jordan Miller grabbed the offensive board before Kameron McGusty hit a floater to put the Canes ahead. Isaiah Wong knocked down a free throw with eight seconds remaining to make it a two-point game, and after junior Wendell Moore Jr.’s transition three-pointer rimmed out, the Blue Devils (12-2, 2-1 ACC) were left with 0.7 seconds on the clock for one last look. The inbounds pass went to freshman Trevor Keels, who had a look from deep but the shot did not fall as Miami (13-3, 5-0) escaped with the road victory.

Banchero finished with a game-high 20 points and seven rebounds, while Moore recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 boards. Sophomore Mark Williams added 12 and seven with a career-high-tying six blocked shots.

The Canes had four in double-figure points, led by Moore’s 18 on 7-of-13 shooting. Moore also had seven steals as Miami turned Duke over 17 times, including 13 in the first half. Miller netted 17 points with five rebounds, while Wong chipped in 15 and McGusty 14.

Duke shot .458 (27-of-59) from the field but just 6-of-21 from three-point range as the Blue Devils saw their five-game winning streak snapped. The Canes also outscored Duke 52-38 in the paint.

Duke looks to get back in the win column on Wednesday when it travels to Wake Forest for a 7 p.m. tipoff on ACC Network.