GREENSBORO, N.C. _ Grayson Allen said he wouldn't do this anymore. He said it was behind him, that he'd matured.
But an ugly habit reared its head Wednesday night in Duke's final nonconference game of the season. The junior guard was whistled for a technical foul for tripping Elon's Steven Santa Ana in the first half of Duke's 72-61 win over the Phoenix. Visibly irate, Allen took a seat at the bench with a meltdown. He covered his reddened face with a towel as Santa Anna knocked down three of four free throws.
Allen in February tripped two opponents, and Wednesday marked his third time. A starter against Elon, Allen came off the bench in the second half and immediately picked up his third foul. Fellow guard Luke Kennard also had three fouls at the time.
Allen finished with three points, on a night when freshman Jayson Tatum had his way.
Elon stayed afloat with a 9-0 run capped by a Brian Dawkins 3-pointer. Elon shot 50 percent from deep in the first half, while Duke (12-1) went 21.4 percent from that area.
The Blue Devils trailed by one, 35-34, at the break, even after just one turnover to Elon's nine. The Phoenix slightly outrebounded the Blue Devils (24-23) in the first half, where Jones led with four steals.
Freshman Harry Giles' first college point came off a free throw. He played six minutes, going 0-for-2 from the floor with a point, two rebounds and a block, which came during Duke's second-half rally.
Duke opens its ACC season on New Year's Eve at Virginia Tech.
