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Duke claims record 18th ACC title

Sun 14th, March 2010

Greensboro, NC (Sports Network) - Jon Scheyer hit a clutch three-pointer with 20 seconds left to make it a four-point game and Kyle Singler got 14 of his 20 points at the line, as fourth-ranked Duke captured a record 18th ACC Tournament crown with a 65-61 victory against Georgia Tech.

Scheyer finished with 16 points as did Nolan Smith with the Blue Devils (29-5) overcoming a shoddy 35.3-percent shooting effort by making 24-of-28 at the free throw line to make it back-to-back ACC tourney titles.

"There aren't many teams that have won the regular season and the tournament," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I bet there is not more than six or eight. When you do that it is an accomplishment."

Duke had been tied with rival North Carolina at 17 tournament championships and later secured the South Region's No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a first-round matchup with the winner of the play-in game between Arkansas- Pine Bluff and Winthrop.

ACC Rookie of the Year Derrick Favors posted 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Iman Shumpert contributed a dozen points, five boards and five assists in the loss.

Maurice Miller chipped in 10 points for the Yellow Jackets (22-12), whose run to the final included wins over UNC and No. 19 Maryland to secure an at-large bid in the NCAAs as the Midwest Region's 10th seed opposite Oklahoma State.

Georgia Tech was angling for a fourth league tourney title and first since 1993.

Duke led wire-to-wire, but it wasn't easy, as Georgia Tech stayed in it till the end with the Blue Devils making just 6-of-22 shot attempts in the second half.

It was a 29-22 difference at halftime and Smith's three followed by a Scheyer free throw had the lead at nine early in the second half.

Duke continued to hold down a precarious advantage as Singler and Shumpert traded three-point plays on consecutive possessions with 12 1/2 minutes remaining for a 38-33 game.

The lead shrank to four just past the midway point after Shumpert buried a three, but the Blue Devils were able to keep Tech at a distance thanks to spot-on free throw shooting.

An ill-advised foul by Brian Oliver on Scheyer during a three-point attempt led to three free throws and Singler sank four in a row around a Favors three- point conversion to hold down a 49-41 edge with 7:22 to play.

Scheyer knocked down a big three a minute later to push the margin to 11, but the Yellow Jackets began their methodical comeback surge from there. Tech got dunks from Miller and Gani Lawal on consecutive possessions and Glen Rice Jr. hit a three on the next trip down the floor.

Duke continued its march to the charity stripe with Brian Zoubek's two free throws keeping the lead in double digits at 60-50 with 3:27 to go.

Shumpert then sparked a critical 9-0 run for the Jackets with a three-pointer, Favors converted a tip-in and slammed emphatically to cap things off with 47.9 seconds on the clock for a 60-59 contest.

Scheyer's clutch three-pointer followed the sequence and made it a two- possession game.

"At the end Jon Scheyer made an unbelievable shot. If you're a basketball fan enjoy it for what it is. I told him after the game that was a hell of a shot you just made," said Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt.

Shumpert came back with a quick scoop layup to make it 63-61 with 12 ticks left.

Fittingly, Singler sealed it with two more free throws -- his 12th and 13th straight to finish out the narrow victory.

Duke scored 10 of the game's first 12 points and was out to an early 17-5 lead after a Scheyer layup close to eight minutes in.

Andre Dawkins, who had been 0-for-5 from the field throughout the tournament, scored seven straight points for the Blue Devils down the stretch to open up a 26-15 advantage with under four minutes left.

Game Notes

The Blue Devils have won nine of the last 12 ACC Tournament Championships and have won nine of its last 10 ACC Championship games...With the win, Duke extended its record for most wins in tournament history with 87...Georgia Tech was in its first championship game since losing to Duke back in 2005...The Yellow Jackets shot 51.9 percent in the second half and 44 percent overall...Singler was just 3-of-15 from the field, but converted all but two of his 16 free throws...Scheyer ended 4-of-13 from the floor and hit 6-of-8 at the line...Led by Favors, Georgia Tech dominated the paint to a 32-14 tune, including outscoring Duke 22-4 in the second half...Singler had an interesting moment in the first half, going airborne to save a loose ball from going out of bounds. He leapt over a table along press row and straight into the ESPN crew calling the game.