Duke Ends Losing Streak, Defeats Georgia Tech

DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke Blue Devils were able to secure the narrow victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets behind three strong scoring performances from Jalen Johnson, Matthew Hurt, and D.J. Steward on the way to a 75-68 victory on Tuesday night.

The trio combined for 54 points on the night.

Georgia Tech fought hard in the loss, forcing Blue Devils to battle until the final minute before finally succumbing to the relentless Blue Devil barrage. 

The Yellow Jackets were buoyed along on the back of senior guard Jose Alvarado’s 26 points, five assists, and three steals. 

Duke started strong, jumping out to an early 10-4 lead via a single basket from each starter. The freakish scoring trend continued immediately as Duke substituted in Mark Williams who then converted a two-point attempt of his own. 

Georgia Tech refused to falter early, scoring seven straight points to draw even with the Blue Devils at 14-14. By this point, both teams were squarely locked in a thrilling struggle for victory. Over the next ten minutes of the first half, from 12:57 to 2:58, there were six lead changes in the contest. 

Duke jumped in front first, 16-14, after a Jordan Goldwire jumper with 10:23 remaining. Georgia Tech then seized the advantage once again, scoring six straight points to take a narrow 20-16 lead over the Blue Devils. Duke responded with a five-point scoring outburst of their own, pulling ahead 21-20 at the 7:01 mark. Over the next three minutes, Georgia Tech would score their final five points of their period. After this series of frantic plays and lead changes, Duke went a 10-0 run to end the half and enter the locker room with a 33-25 lead over the Yellow Jackets. This run was spearheaded by freshman guard DJ Steward, converting two free-throws and an equal number of three-pointers to end the first half with 12 points. 

Duke outrebounded Georgia Tech 27-15 in the first half.

The second half started as a back-and-forth affair that saw both teams score a few baskets with no noticeable difference in the margin between them. 

After two minutes the Blue Devil’s lead began to dissolve due to a seven-point scoring run from the Yellow Jackets that narrowed the margin to 34-38. A run made possible through the combined efforts of senior standouts Moses Wright and Jose Alvarado, a pair that combined for 38 of Georgia Tech’s 68 points. 

Duke answered with a seven-point run of their own, extending their lead to 45-38 before surrendering another basket. 

Georgia Tech (7-5, 3-3 ACC), undeterred, held Duke to one point and scored five points of their own to narrow the margin within one possession once again, this time at 43-46. 

Duke showed their mettle down the stretch, never wavering in the face of several comeback attempts from a stubborn Georgia Tech team. The Blue Devils began to cool off with about 11 minutes remaining in the period, finding themselves tied at 52-52 with Yellow Jackets after a stretch of missed baskets caused them to surrender a seven-point lead late.

As the lead dissolved and Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s frustration at his offense’s stagnation mounted, he called a timeout at the 9:27 mark to settle his team and refocus their efforts on winning the game. 

The final 9:27 was reminiscent of the first half’s conclusion, a flurry of baskets from both teams that saw the score knotted up in a tie. 

With the score notched squarely at 66 apiece, Duke put their foot on the gas and left Georgia Tech in the rearview mirror. The Blue Devils scored nine points while only surrendering two to the Yellow Jackets through a combination of offensive execution and stifling defense.  This stretch was enough to deliver the victory, with Georgia Tech failing to convert any baskets over the final 1:30 of the contest. 

Freshman guard DJ Steward led Duke in scoring with 19 points and three assists on 3-of-6 shooting from three-point range. Sophomore Matthew Hurt added in 18 points and eight rebounds during the contest on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Jalen Johnson also shot well from the field, recording 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. 

Blue Devils (6-5, 4-3 ACC) return to action Saturday, January 30th to host the Clemson Tigers at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina