Matthew Hurt’s huge scoring night got Duke to overtime but Louisville’s balance, behind Carlik Jones, gave the Cardinals the win.
On a night Hurt scored 37 points, Jones countered with 25, including a free throw to force overtime and seven points in the extra period, as the Cardinals outlasted the Blue Devils, 80-73, in ACC basketball at Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday night.
The loss ended Duke’s four-game winning streak and left the Blue Devils (11-9, 9-7 ACC) needing more wins in the regular season’s final two games and in the ACC tournament to make the NCAA Tournament.
Hurt tallied his points on 15-of-21 shooting, including 2 of 6 3-pointers, before fouling out with 17.7 seconds left in overtime. As the Blue Devils struggled from the field by making just 4 of 21 3-pointers, Wendell Moore (13 points) was the only other Blue Devil to score in double figures.
The Blue Devils shot 44.8% for the game and turned the ball over 12 times. Louisville’s 15 rebounds propelled the Cardinals to a 41-33 rebounding edge that made a difference in the game, particularly in the first half when Louisville built a 36-26 halftime lead.
“We weren’t fighting in the first half,” Moore said. “We didn’t do one thing that we did the past four games to get wins and it showed. We were down early. They hit us in the mouth early. They were attacking the offensive glass. They were just having their way. In the second half we dug down deep.”
In addition to Jones’ output, the Cardinals (13-5, 8-4) received 16 points from Jae’Lyn Withers and 14 from Samuell Williamson.
Louisville led by 12 points early in the second half only to see Duke rally and lead 65-64 with 1:15 left before the teams went to overtime tied at 65.
The Cardinals scored the first five points of overtime on a Quinn Slazinski 3-pointer and a Jones layup to lead 70-65.
Hurt hit a layup with 3:07 for a 70-67 Cardinals lead. But Withers hit a basket as Hurt fouled him with 2:35 to play. Withers’ free throw put Louisville up 73-67.
Moore hit one of two free throws with 2:15 to play and Duke got the ball back after a Jones miss. But DJ Steward missed a driving shot in the lane with 1:37 to play.
Jones, fouled by Moore, split two free throws with 1:14 left extending Louisville’s lead to 74-68.
Moore hit a layup with 1:06 left and was fouled by Williamson. His free throw left Duke down 74-71.
Jones scored on a pull-up jumper for Louisville but Hurt responded with 25 seconds left leaving Louisville with a 76-73 lead.
Slazinski earned two free throws when Hurt fouled him for his fifth foul with 17.7 seconds to play. He hit them both for a 78-73 Cardinals lead.
In regulation, after Duke stormed back to grab a 55-52 lead behind Hurt, the Cardinals surged back in front as Duke’s offense went cold.
Taking advantage of a stretch where the Blue Devils scored on just one of six possessions, Louisville’s 10-2 run gave it a 60-57 lead. Williamson scored six points during the stretch, including his free throws that gave the Cardinals that three-point lead with 4:27 to play.
Withers’ free throws with 3:08 left put the Cardinals up 62-57.
But Duke clamped down on defense, getting stops on three consecutive possessions with a blocked shot and two steals. Roach split two free throws with 2:18 left and Steward hit two free throws with 2:06 left leaving Louisville up 62-61.
Jones pushed Louisville’s lead back to 64-61 with a basket at 1:41. But Moore hit two free throws with 1:17 left leaving the Blue Devils down a point. Jones missed a shot for Louisville with 52 seconds and Duke took advantage to move in front.
Fouled by David Johnson with 36.9 seconds to play, Moore hit two free throws to put Duke ahead 65-64.
Jones, fouled by Moore with 13.5 seconds to play, hit the first free throw to tie the game at 65. He missed the second shot but Withers grabbed the offensive rebound. Jones missed a jumper with two seconds left and the teams headed to overtime.
