Blue Devils outlast N.C. State
Maggette shines as Duke advances to ACC final
Posted: Saturday March 06, 1999 05:40 PM
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Duke's Corey Maggette goes up for two of his team-high 24 points Saturday. AP |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Top-ranked Duke sounded a little like a
team running on empty Saturday as the pressure to not only win, but
be impressive doing it, mounts.
"I know this is wearing on me right now," Chris Carrawell said
following his team's 83-68 victory over North Carolina State in the
Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinals. "I am just
exhausted.
"With all the hype we have, 31-1 now, people expect so much
from us, and we expect so much from ourselves. We were up by eight
at halftime and we felt like it wasn't enough."
And the nation's No. 1 team will have to muster enough energy to
win its first ACC crown since 1992 without Trajan Langdon, who
missed the game against the Wolfpack with a foot injury and was
declared out of the title game by coach Mike Krzyzewski.
"Right now, this team is hurting," said Krzyzewski, whose
defensive stopper -- Shane Battier -- is nursing a sore left ankle.
"I am pleased that over the last week that we have still played so
well.
"This is part of the game, you get some injuries and you get
worn out a little bit. Everybody has gone through that in the
league -- some people have had it a lot worse."
Freshman Corey Maggette, making his first start in place of
the injured Langdon, scored 17 of his season-high 24 points in the
first half as Duke beat North Carolina State 83-68 Saturday in the
semifinals of the ACC tournament.
"Corey scored and he scored some more," Carrawell said. "He
really played a great offensive game as far as putting points on
the board. For him to step up was big-time for us. We needed it."
The Blue Devils (31-1) extended the nation's longest winning
streak to 26 in a row in beating the Wolfpack (18-13) for the 10th
time in the last 11 meetings.
Maggette's previous high was 22 points against North
Carolina-Greensboro, while Elton Brand added 19 points after a slow
start.
"I just wanted to step in and help out the team any way I
could," said Maggette, 8-for-10 from the field and 6-for-8 from
the foul line.
"His role didn't really change today," Krzyzewski said. "I am
confident about playing Corey. Corey has been a great player for us
all year long."
Anthony Grundy led the Wolfpack with a season-high 19 points.
N.C. State coach Herb Sendek just shook his head when asked
about Maggette's offensive outburst.
"All roads for them seem to lead to the same destination," he
said. "They have an excellent team with great depth, with any
number of men who can hurt you."
Langdon, the team's second-leading scorer at 17.1 points a game,
missed his first start in 131 games with a sprained left foot
suffered in a 104-67 first-round win Thursday against Virginia. And
top-seeded Duke missed him early on as its offense wasn't clicking.
But Maggette picked up the pace and Will Avery and Nate James
sank 3-pointers in a 12-0 run that put the Blue Devils up by 11
midway through the first half.
Five minutes later, Krzyzewski lost his temper and was assessed
a technical foul after arguing a charging call against Avery. The
veteran coach stormed onto the floor, yelling and pointing his
finger at official Karl Hess.
A pair of free throws by Justin Gainey cut the Duke margin to
five, but Maggette scored on a fastbreak three-point play and Shane
Battier followed with a follow shot and 3-pointer and the Blue
Devils' margin was back at 11.
The Wolfpack was 6-for-10 from 3-point range in the opening 20
minutes to hang close, including three by Grundy and Gainey's at
the halftime buzzer that narrowed the deficit to 43-35.
N.C. State upset No. 1 seed Duke two years ago in the ACC
quarterfinals, but there would be no repeat of a clutch second half
by the Wolfpack.
Duke, playing on a day's rest because of a second-round bye,
just wore N.C. State down, scoring on 12 straight second-half
possessions to turn a 53-45 score into a 23-point lead with 10:20
left.
"Their tremendous inside attack wore on us," Sendek admitted.
"They obviously had a real purpose and went inside time and time
again. That took a toll on us."
The Blue Devils scored on three slams and two layups during a
two-minute, 10-0 lightning-quick scoring spree that sealed the win
and sent Duke back to the ACC title game for the second straight
year.
"Duke's scoring and greatness starts with their defense, and if
you can't handle the ball, it just leads to breakaway layups that
you can't possibly defend," said Sendek, whose team had 21
turnovers.
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