Williams’ Dunk in Final Seconds Lifts No. 9 Duke Over Wake, 76-74

DURHAM – Sophomore Mark Williams converted a put-back dunk with 0.4 seconds remaining to lift No. 9 Duke to a 76-74 win over Wake Forest on Tuesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

After Wake clawed its way back from a 19-point deficit to tie the game on a pair of Alondes Williams free throws, Duke (22-4, 12-3 ACC) had 17 seconds to attempt a winner. The Blue Devils got the ball in the hands of freshman Paolo Banchero, who drove the lane and laid the ball high off the glass. His try glazed off the rim and was quickly hammered home by Williams, and the basket was ruled good after a lengthy review as goaltending was called on the floor.

The drama carried to the final possession as Wake Forest had only a desperate chance. Domari Monsanto took the inbounds pass and heaved a one-handed throw to the far end with the ball hitting the glass then bouncing off the rim before falling away.

That ended an eventful night in Cameron Indoor, which included head coach Mike Krzyzewski missing the entire second half due to an illness. Associate head coach Jon Scheyer coached the Blue Devils for the remainder of the game.

After Duke increased a nine-point halftime lead to 19 with 14:46 to go, the Demon Deacons (20-7, 10-6 ACC) roared back via a 23-6 run that cut the score to 63-61 at the 7:40 mark. The Blue Devils were able to bump their advantage back to nine points coming out of the under-four media timeout, but missed shots coupled with five turnovers over the closing minutes allowed Wake to once again make it close.

Williams and junior Wendell Moore Jr., netted 16 points apiece to lead Duke offensively, while Banchero scored each of his 13 in the second half. Freshman AJ Griffin hit 3-of-4 three-pointers in the opening frame for 12 points to help the Blue Devils shoot out to a double-digit lead.

Williams also grabbed 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.

Jake LaRavia had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Demon Deacons. Alondes Williams notched 18 – 15 in the second half – and Dallas Walton had 17 with three hits from behind the arc.

Duke remains at Cameron for a matchup against Florida State on Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN.