Duke avoids upset, defeats Orgeon State in Tournament opener

PORTLAND, OR — The No. 8 ranked Duke Blue Devils defeated Oregon State 54-51 on Thanksgiving Day in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament.

Freshman big man Kyle Filipowski had yet another big game for the Blue Devils, finishing the afternoon with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Through his first six games, Filipowski has led Duke in points and rebounds, averaging 16.2 points and 11 rebounds. The New York native scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half.

The matchup remained close throughout as neither team led by more than six. Filipowski and Dariq Whitehead came out gunning in the first half, leading Duke in scoring with six points each. Whitehead has struggled so far in his first three games in his return from a foot injury, averaging just five points on 27 percent shooting from the field.

The Beavers trailed by just two points heading into halftime as guard Jordan Pope and forward Glenn Taylor Jr. combined for 14 first-half points. Pope played a huge role on defense in limiting Duke captain Jeremy Roach from scoring, shooting 3-for-14 from the floor.

Duke struggled to start the second half going 0-for-9 in the first five minutes of play. Oregon State guard Dexter Akanno came alive in the second half as he scored nine quick points, giving the Beavers their first lead of the game.

Duke mounted a comeback as senior Ryan Young got a hot hand following their scoring drought to start the half. Young finished the game with a game-high 15 rebounds and 11 points for his first double-double on the season.

The margin stayed within three points for the remaining 10 minutes of the game as both teams struggled to knock down jumpers from beyond the arc down the stretch. Both teams shot below 30 percent from three on the night and Oregon State only made one field goal in the final minutes of regulation.

Duke ran away with the game in the final moments as clutch free throws and buckets from Kyle Filipowski helped the Blue Devils secure the victory.

“He’s a big-time competitor,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said of Filipowski. “He hasn’t gotten off to the best starts, but when the game’s on the line, he’s not afraid. The three of course was big to tie it, but those three offensive rebounds he had were big-time.”

Duke will take on either Florida or Xavier tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. in the second round of the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament on ESPN.