The Duke Blue Devils held on late on Friday to outlast the St. John’s Red Storm 80-75 in a thrilling Sweet 16 showdown.
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Friday’s matchup was a battle of two distinct playstyles. St. John’s was firing on all cylinders from beyond the arc, but Duke was putting up points in the paint with ease.
The Blue Devils scored first, but both squads hit the ground running early. They exchanged scoring runs as the matchup become more physical throughout the first half.
While Duke’s potent offense built a small lead late in the opening frame, St. John’s made a few timely threes as time expired to take a one-point halftime advantage.
The second half was an impressive display of effort from both sides. After Duke opened the second half with a scoring burst, the Red Storm’s elite shooting took hold. With 15 minutes to go, St. John’s was up by 10.
That’s when the Blue Devils’ offense finally got back into a rhythm, all while their defense gained the upper hand on the Red Storm.
With less than four minutes to play, Isaiah Evans knocked down a lead-taking three for Duke. Over the final few minutes, Evans and Cameron Boozer made several clutch buckets to hold on to the advantage.
Evans finished the game with 25 points and four rebounds while shooting 10-of-15 from the floor while Boozer put up 22 points and 10 rebounds.
For St. John’s, Zuby Ejiofor finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
