No. 6 Duke Falls to No. 8 Michigan State, 75-69

DURHAM, N.C. — No. 6 Duke trimmed No. 8 Michigan State’s lead down to five points late in the game, but it was not enough to overcome a double-digit deficit in the second half as the Spartans dealt the Blue Devils a 75-69 loss Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Rocket Watts scored a team-high 20 points and Julius Marble had a career-high 12 as Michigan State emerged victorious in a top-10 matchup for the State Farm Champions Classic.

The Spartans (3-0) trailed by 10 early in the game but closed the first half with a 13-4 surge to take a 37-33 lead at halftime.

Michigan State maintained control in the second half, leading by as many as 16, with balance on offense to go with aggressive defense and rebounding.

The Blue Devils (1-1) rallied late and pulled within five in the final minute. They started strong and led 13-3 before struggling to make shots or get stops. Duke shot just 32 percent from the field and allowed five Spartans to score in double figures.

Joey Hauser had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Michigan State. Aaron Henry had 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks. Malik Hall added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Matthew Hurt led all scorers with 21 points and 13 rebounds for Duke, but freshman Jalen Johnson was limited to 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting after scoring 19 in his college debut.

Jaemyn Brakefield scored 11 and Jordan Goldwire had 10 points for the Blue Devils.

BIG PICTURE

Michigan State: Tom Izzo improved his coaching record to 3-12 against the Blue Devils with the Spartans’ first win at Duke, which didn’t have its raucous fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Duke: Settling for jump shots proved to be a problem because they simply were not falling all night for the Blue Devils, who missed 14 of their first 15 3-pointers.

UP NEXT

Michigan State hosts Detroit on Friday night.

Duke hosts Bellarmine on Friday night.