DURHAM, N.C. — It’s offense not yet clicking consistently this season, No. 17 Duke hit just enough basket plus a whole lot of free throws to subdue No. 25 Ohio State on Wednesday night.
Kyle Filipowski’s 16 points led five Blue Devils in double figures as Duke topped the Buckeyes, 81-72, in an ACC-Big Ten Challenge at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke (7-2) shot 45.5% and worked the ball inside enough to earn 28 free throws. The Blue Devils hit 25 of those 28 (89.3%) and never trailed in the second half after leading 39-29 at halftime.
Jeremy Roach scored 13 points and Tyrese Proctor added 12 points for Duke, while freshman center Dereck Lively II scored a season-best 11 points. Graduate student center Ryan Young contributed 10 points off the bench.
Zed Key paced Ohio State (5-2) with 21 points as the Buckeyes shot 48.1%, including 3 of 13 on 3-pointers. Ohio State committed 16 turnovers as Duke recorded nine steals.
Sean McNeil added 14 points for the Buckeyes.
Duke led by as many as 13 points early in the second half but saw Ohio State slice the deficit to five points three times. Each time, the Blue Devils answered with a basket to extend their lead again.
The last time came when McNeil drilled a 3-pointer with 3:04 to play leaving Duke up 72-67.
But Filipowski, playing with four fouls, received the ball inside and maneuvered to score while drawing a foul. His free throw at 2:37 put Duke up 75-67.
After a Justice Sueing basket for Ohio State, Duke missed three shots on its possession but retained possession after each of them. Finally, Proctor was fouled after rebounding his miss with 1:26 to play.
His two free throws extended Duke’s lead to 77-69.
After leading 39-29 at halftime, Duke pushed its lead to 13 points when Lively scored inside and added a free throw for a 48-35 Duke lead with 15:55 to play.
Ohio State slowly clawed back behind Key, who scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half. The 6-8 junior’s basket at the rim with 9:25 cut Duke’s lead to 59-54.
But Filipowski countered with two free throws and Lively scored inside pushing Duke’s lead back to 56-47.
After a nip-and-tuck start to the game, Ohio State led 22-20 when Isaac Likekele scored on a driving shot in the lane with 8:38 left before halftime.
At that point, 16 of the Buckeyes’ 22 points had come on high percentage shots in the lane.
The Blue Devils, though, shut that part of Ohio State’s game off to pull away to a 39-29 lead at halftime. Ohio State managed just two points in the paint the rest of the half.
Duke closed the half on a 19-7 run with its freshman making contributions on offense. Proctor hit two free throws then drilled a 3-pointer to put Duke in front for good at 25-22.
When Filipowski scored on a post move at the 4:09 mark, Duke led 29-23.
Dariq Whitehead unleashed a flurry of impact plays that offered a glimpse of what Duke hopes he can deliver more often. The 6-7 freshman forced a turnover with quick hands leading to Blakes grabbing the loose ball for a steal. At the other end, Whitehead drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner giving Duke a 34-25 lead.
After two Ohio State free throws, Whitehead’s rebound basket off a Blakes miss gave Duke a 36-27 lead with 1:35 left in the half.
