Duke 68, Miami 63 (4:06 second half): Quinn Cook hit a three to put Duke up 75-65 with a couple minutes left and from there it was over.
Some shaky free throw shooting made it closer than it should have been, but Miami missed two 3-pointers on its final possession as Duke eked out the 79-76 win.
Kelly finished with 36.
Highlight for Duke fans at the end was Cook slapping the floor after his trey.
Duke 68, Miami 63 (4:06 second half): Coming out of the last break, Shane Larkin brought Miami within one with a 3-pointer. Who responded? Ryan Kelly, with a 3-pointer.
Even when he made possibly his first miscue of the night—getting called for a charge—he responded by drawing one on the other end. He proceeded to make 3-of-4 FTs on Duke's next two possessions, giving him 35 points.
He's now just a point shy of the ACC-high for points this season, set by Joe Harris Thursday against Duke.
In the meantime, Tyler Thornton fouled out for Duke. Reggie Johnson has four.
Duke 60, Miami 56 (7:19 second half): Duke has been killed on the boards this half, and have now allowed the Hurricanes to grab nine offensive rebounds for the game. Miami has 29 rebounds on the night compared to Duke's 22. Kenny Kadjii has his fifth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. By hitting his sixth trey of the game, Ryan Kelly tied the season high for 3-point field goals in one game, and sits three makes away from J.J. Redick's all-time mark of nine.
Duke 53, Miami 56 (10:17 second half): The physical play allowed so far by the refs has meant that the Blue Devils have largely stayed out of foul trouble—only Josh Hairston has more than two fouls. Offensively, Duke continues to be led by Ryan Kelly, who hit a deep two off a kick from a driving Quinn Cook to give him 24 points on the night. Kelly's jumper was sandwiched by threes from Cook and then Seth Curry.
Duke 43, Miami 45 (15:05 second half): Both teams came out firing offensively to start the second half. Duke benefitted from a couple free throws and a three from point guard Quinn Cook, who now has nine points and two assists. Miami continued to find ways to finish at the rim, going around and over the Blue Devils to convert near the bucket. Kenny Kadjii added a three and brought his point total to 15 for the game. Two quick fouls by Reggie Johnson to start the half gave him four for the game and and means that he will likely spend most of the rest of the half on the bench.
Duke 34, Miami 36 (halftime): Ryan Kelly is making a statement in his return. The forward has over half his team's points with 20, and has hit five three-pointers in the first half alone. Mason Plumlee and Quinn Cook are tied for second on the team with four. Kelly has sat out a total of five minutes over two stints on the bench, but the crowds reaction to his time on the floor has helped turn today's game into one of the loudest of the season. Kelly's return has not fixed Duke's rebounding problem, however, as the Hurricanes, led by the nearly 300-pound Reggie Johnson, have used their size down low to grab 17 boards compared to the Blue Devils' 13. Kenny Kadjii leads Miami with 10 points and seven rebounds, but Miami also has three other players with six or more points.
Duke 19, Miami 25 (7:05 first half): The game's last nine points have all come on threes from the corner, with Kenny Kadjii and Trey McKinner Jones each hitting one for the Hurricanes and Ryan Kelly adding his second trey of the game for the Blue Devils. The refs are allowing some physical play under the basket from both sides—most of the game's seven fouls have come from perimeter players.
Duke 15, Miami 19 (9:24 first half): Led by Durand Scott's and Shane Larkin's two assists, Miami has continued to generate and finish looks near the hoop by extending Duke's defense beyond the key. After a poor showing against Virginia, Duke's big men are generating early—Mason Plumlee has four points from the post, Josh Hairston hit a long jumper, and Ryan Kelly has converted a three and two short jumpers off drives.
Duke 5, Miami 8 (15:37 first half): Ryan Kelly is back, and he has picked up right where he left off almost two months ago. The forward had two three-point attempts, missing the first but eliciting an eruption from the crowd when he hit the second a couple minute into the game. Duke is trailing, however, as the Hurricanes have been able to beat the Blue Devils' half-court hedging on picks for some easy shots near the bucket.
Duke Starters: G Quinn Cook, G Seth Curry, G Rasheed Sulaimon, F Ryan Kelly, F Mason Plumlee
Miami Starters: G Shane Larkin, G Durand Scott, G Trey McKinney Jones, F Kenny Kadji, C Reggie Johnson
Pregame: We’re live from Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., as No. 3 Duke (24-4, 11-4 in the ACC) is on the floor warming up in preparation for their 6 p.m. tipoff against the No. 5 Miami (23-4, 14-1). Coming off Thursday's five-point loss to Virginia, the Blue Devils are looking to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time this season. They have forward Ryan Kelly back in the starting lineup for the first time since January 8th. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes can wrap up the regular-season ACC title with a win tonight. Miami has won the last two meetings, including January's 27-point stomping of then No. 1 Duke. Follow along here and on Twitter @dukebasketball for live updates throughout the game.
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