DURHAM, N.C. _ Vernon Carey's strong play inside led No. 9 Duke to a tough win on Tuesday night.
A 6-10 freshman, Carey scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Blue Devils survived Pittsburgh's second-half rally to beat the Panthers, 79-67, in ACC basketball at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
No. 9 Duke (17-3, 7-2 ACC) led by as many as 18 points in the second half. Pitt (13-8, 4-6) climbed back within three points before Carey helped the Blue Devils pull away.
Tre Jones scored 14 points while Jordan Goldwire finished with 13 and Cassius Stanley 11 for Duke.
Au'Diese Toney paced Pitt with 27 points.
After a late flurry of hot shooting allowed Duke to lead by 11 points at halftime, the Blue Devils extended their lead to 60-42 with 13:39 to play.
But a stroll to an easy win took a detour. The Blue Devils went cold from the field and Pitt put together an 11-2 run over a 4:55 stretch. With 6:47 left, Duke's lead had shrunk to 66-61.
With 4:26 to play, Pitt's Abdoul Karim Coulibaly drove past Carey and was awarded a basket on a goal-tending call leaving Duke with a 68-65 lead with 4:28 left.
Matthew Hurt's two free throws put Duke up 70-65 with 4:14 to play. Carey's defense forced Toney into a missed shot in the lane before Carey hit a baseline jumper with 3:16 left for a 72-65 Blue Devils lead.
Stanley's 3-pointer with 2:34 to play restored Duke's double-digit lead at 75-65.
On Monday, Jones said during an interview with reporters that any problems Duke has had in games was solely of their making, saying 'it all depends on us and how we come out and play.' The Blue Devils backed that up with strong play from the start, jumping to a 9-2 lead. Pitt rallied to lead 16-15 but Duke caught fire on offense again to lead 45-34 at halftime.
The Cameron Crazies drew Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski's ire late in the first half. While Pitt's Xavier Johnson was shooting free throws, the students chanted "Jeff Capel sit with us." That chant is normally used when a recruit is visiting. Instead, Krzyzewski stomped on the court and yelled for the students to "shut up." He had to be restrained by referee Mike Eades. Once the half ended, Krzyzewski came across the court on his way to the locker room and screamed not to make fun of "one of our guys." He pounded his fist on his heart and, with a red face, yelled, "He's one of us!"
Players from both teams honored late NBA star Kobe Bryant by wearing matching T-shirts during pre-game warmups. The shirts had No. 8 on the front and 24 on the back. Those were the numbers Bryant wore during his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and seven others were killed Sunday in a helicopter crash. A moment of silence, lasting 24.8 seconds, was held prior to the national anthem. The ceremony also honored former Duke athlete and ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan, who died last week.
