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Proud of my Viks today. The last time the Vikings of the Rose City played against Duke, they lost 89-39 and that was with (UW transfer) Jason Hartman on the team. What a difference 99-81 is from that.
"We beat a heck of a team tonight," said [Mike] Krzyzewski, who has won five national titles. "I thought Portland State played amazingly hard and well. They knocked us back."
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Ah,
National Sports News: Freedom from
biased Whorish Whoregonian perspective
Duke Overcomes Portland State, 99-81
Courtesy:
Associated Press
Release: 11/23/2017
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Trevon Duval had 22 points and top-ranked Duke pulled away for a 99-81 victory over the surprisingly tenacious Portland State Vikings on Thursday to open the Phil Knight Invitational tournament.
Marvin Bagley III added 18 points, and Grayson Allen had 14 points and nine assists. The Blue Devils (6-0) will face the winner of the Thursday game between Butler and Texas.
Duke trailed by as many as eight pointsm but took control midway through the second half when Wendell Carter Jr.'s dunk put the Blue Devils in front 67-62. They would go on to lead by as many as 21 points.
It was coach Mike Krzyzewski's 200th victory as coach of a No. 1-ranked team. He's 200-29 when the Blue Devils sit atop the poll.
Deontae North led the Vikings (4-1) with 24 points, including 20 in the first half, but fouled out with 8:39 left in the game.
It was the first time in program history that the Vikings had faced a top-ranked team. Portland State's last win over a ranked opponent was an 86-82 victory over then-No. 25 Portland in December 2009.
The tournament involves 16 teams playing in two brackets on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, with a break on Saturday. The field also includes No. 4 Michigan State, No. 7 Florida and defending national champion North Carolina.
Dubbed the PK80, the tournament celebrates Nike co-founder Phil Knight's 80th birthday.
Duke and Portland State were in the Motion Bracket, playing Thursday at the Memorial Coliseum. Teams in the Victory Bracket played at the adjacent Moda Center.
Knight was sitting courtside for the game.
The five-time NCAA champion Blue Devils were coming off a 92-63 victory over Furman on Monday night, led by Bagley with 24 points.
Portland State was coming off an 83-79 victory over Utah State at the Memorial Coliseum on Monday. The Vikings are playing the first season under coach Barret Peery.
Portland State was no pushover from the start, taking a 12-11 lead on North's 3-pointer with 16:54 to go in the opening half. North hit another 3 that put the Vikings up 19-15 and Michael Mayhew's jumper extended the lead.
North made another 3 to make it 33-26 with 8:33 left in the half. The Vikings stayed out in front until Gary Trent Jr. made a pair of free throws for Duke to tie it at 42 with 2:09 left in the half.
Mayhew hit a long 3-pointer and Portland State led 49-45 at the half. Mayhew was among five Vikings who fouled out in the second half.
Carter's layup put Duke out in front 54-53, but North answered with a jumper and Bryce Canda added a 3-pointer.
Carter had another layup to give the Blue Devils a 61-60 lead and Bagley's tip-in pushed the lead to 63-60, energizing the mostly blue-clad crowd at the Coliseum. Duke never trailed again.
Coach Krzyzewski has coached 229 games with a No. 1-ranked team, surpassing John Wooden for the lead.
BIG PICTURE
Duke: Allen scored just five points against Furman, and Krzyzewski said he was banged up and held out of a couple of practices going into the game. But he was back in form against Portland State.
Portland State: It was the first time Portland State had faced a No. 1-ranked team. The Vikings have twice faced a No. 2 team, including Duke in 1997. ... The Vikings play in the Big Sky conference. They've made the NCAA tournament twice, in 2008 and 2009, with first-round losses both times.
UP NEXT
Duke: The Blue Devils go on to face the winner of the late Thursday afternoon game between Butler and Texas when the tournament continues on Friday.
Portland State: The Vikings will face the Butler-Texas loser.
From the Charlotte Observer:
Duke, Trevon Duval rally in second half to beat Portland State in PK80
By Scott Sepich
November 23, 2017 07:01 PM
PORTLAND, Ore. — For top-ranked Duke, a first-round matchup at the PK80 Invitational against Big Sky Conference opponent Portland State was supposed to be a light appetizer before Thanksgiving dinner.
The hometown Vikings came to play, though, taking a lead at halftime before the Blue Devils eventually found their stride and earned a 99-81 victory.
Freshman guard Trevon Duval scored 22 points for Duke, with 14 coming in the second half. Freshmen forwards Marvin Bagley III (18 points, 15 rebounds) and Wendell Carter Jr. (16 points, 10 rebounds) each posted double-doubles, while senior guard Grayson Allen shook off a 2-for-7 performance from the field to finish with 14 points and nine assists.
Duke (5-0) finally pulled ahead for good on a Carter basket with 13:54 remaining in the second half to go up 61-60. Portland State hung around, and was still within five points with 8:42 left, but a 16-6 run by the Blue Devils put them up 88-73 and they cruised from there.
The Blue Devils went 4-for-18 from behind the 3-point line, but still shot 51 percent for the game. Portland State started out hot, but made only 34 percent of its shots in being outscored 54-32 by the Blue Devils after halftime. Duke shot 42 free throws, making 31.
Despite being played in the Vikings home city, the crowd at Veterans Memorial Coliseum wore mostly blue and cheered loudly for Duke, reflecting the Blue Devils’ national appeal.
But Portland State (4-1) came out ready to go toe-to-toe with the Blue Devils. With 7:26 left in the half, the Vikings took their largest lead at 35-27 before the Blue Devils rallied to tie the game at 42-42. Portland State responded with a 7-3 run to take a 49-45 halftime advantage.
Senior guard Deontae North scored 24 points to lead Portland State, but was ejected after drawing a pair of technical fouls in the second half – the second while waiting at the scorer’s table to check into the game.
The Blue Devils will face either Butler or Texas in the semifinals of the Motion Bracket at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Moda Center, the newer and larger of the two arenas hosting the PK80.
The PK80 event is a 16-team tournament divided into two eight-team brackets, celebrating the 80th birthday of Nike founder Phil Knight. Nike’s world headquarters are located near Portland in Beaverton, Ore.
This was the second all-time meeting between Duke and Portland State. Duke won 89-39 on Dec. 30, 1997, in Durham.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college/article186261888.html#storylink=cpy
hno: 