Late run leads No. 21 Duke past No. 10 Baylor

Field Level Media|published: Wed 20th December, 21:39 2023

Dec 20, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Jeremy Roach (3) shoots the ball as Baylor Bears guard Ja'Kobe Walter (4) defends during the first half at Madison Square Garden. credits: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Jared McCain scored 21 points and Jeremy Roach added 18 for No. 21 Duke, which was at its best in the final six minutes of a 78-70 win over No. 10 Baylor on Wednesday in New York.

After the game was tied at 61, the Blue Devils ran off a 14-1 run to take charge with a 13-point lead. Roach had five points and McCain sank in a key 3-pointer during the run. Baylor missed five shots and three free throw attempts and committed a pair of turnovers during that crucial stretch.

Kyle Filipowski added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Duke (8-3), with Caleb Foster scoring 12 and Mark Mitchell hitting for 10. The Blue Devils have won three consecutive games.

RayJ Dennis led Baylor (9-2) with 17 points while Ja'Kobe Walter added 15, Yves Missi racked up 11 points and 10 rebounds and Jalen Bridges scored 10 points. The Bears have dropped back-to-back games after opening the season with nine consecutive wins.

The Blue Devils ruled the opening minutes, sprinting to a 18-8 lead when Mitchell hit a layup off a fastbreak. Duke was still up by 10 points after Filipowski driving layup with 8:32 left in the half before the Bears, and specifically Missi, got going.

Baylor rallied and took the lead at 28-26 via a 12-0 run that was highlighted by seven points from Missi and capped by a 3-pointer by Dantwan Grimes with 4:19 to play in the half. The Blue Devils moved back in front via a jumper by McCain and a free throw by Mitchell that was answered by a dunk by Missi. Another free throw by Mitchell, this one with 35 seconds left, granted Duke a 34-32 advantage at the break.

McCain led the Blue Devils with 11 points before halftime while Missi countered with 11 points and seven rebounds in just 12 minutes of court time. Baylor outshot Duke 44.4 percent to 35.5 percent in the first half as the Blue Devils went the final 2:31 without a field goal.

The Bears jumped to a three-point lead in the early moments of second half before Duke rallied with a layup by McCain and a pair of free throws by Roach to take a 40-39 advantage.

Overall on the night, Duke outshot Baylor 49 percent to 43.9 percent from the floor.

—Field Level Media