WASHINGTON — Caleb Foster, making his comeback after a fractured foot, salvaged Duke’s aspirations for a national championship. He assisted the top-ranked Blue Devils in surmounting a 10-point deficit during the game’s second period to defeat St. John’s 80-75 on Friday evening, thereby progressing to the Elite Eight.
Barely three weeks post-surgery on his left foot, Foster tallied his entire 11-point contribution during the second period. Isaiah Evans accumulated 25 points, while Cameron Boozer contributed 22 points and secured 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils (35-2), extending their active winning streak, the nation’s most prolonged, to 14 consecutive victories. Nonetheless, the persistent Red Storm (30-7) challenged Duke intensely until the very end.
Duke is scheduled to meet either the second-ranked UConn squad or the third-ranked Michigan State team in the championship game of the East Region on Sunday.
The Blue Devils held a 77-74 advantage with 32.4 seconds remaining when Boozer failed to convert the initial shot of a one-and-one free throw opportunity. Zuby Ejiofor was fouled on the opposing side with 14.7 seconds remaining; however, the prominent St. John’s player converted just one of his two foul shots.
Evans likewise sank one of two attempts, affording the Red Storm a final opportunity to equalize, trailing 78-75. However, Dylan Darling – whose buzzer-beating layup against Kansas in the preceding round secured St. John’s spot in the Sweet 16 – shot poorly from a considerable distance beyond the arc. Boozer successfully netted two foul shots with 1.5 seconds remaining.
This marked only the second defeat for St. John’s coach Rick Pitino across 14 appearances in the Sweet 16 – and similarly, merely the second loss for this season’s Red Storm squad over their concluding 23 matchups.
Following a comparatively controlled initial half, the Blue Devils displayed carelessness at the commencement of the second period. A miscue by Boozer resulted in a slam dunk from Ejiofor. Subsequently, Cayden, Boozer’s sibling, had the ball pilfered by Darling near midcourt, and Ejiofor executed another dunk, extending St. John’s lead to 48-44.
A Duke stoppage of play proved largely ineffectual. An additional miscue from Cayden Boozer resulted in a layup by Ejiofor. Thereafter, the towering 6-foot-11 Ruben Prey successfully converted his fourth three-point shot out of four tries, and abruptly, the Red Storm had surged ahead 53-44.
Duke responded by substituting Foster in for Cayden Boozer. Foster contributed to stabilizing the offense somewhat, and the Blue Devils adopted a zone defensive scheme. They trailed by a margin of 10 points prior to initiating their resurgence.
A three-point shot from Evans propelled Duke into a 63-62 lead. Bryce Hopkins retaliated with a triple for St. John’s. Subsequently, an agile layup by Evans leveled the score – igniting a fierce contest.
Dillon Mitchell slammed in a rebound from a missed free throw to give St. John’s a 69-67 advantage. Afterward, Evans sank another three-pointer, prompting Pitino to avert his gaze in clear astonishment. Cameron Boozer, fouled with 3:06 remaining, banked in a shot from a difficult trajectory. The ensuing foul shot extended the Blue Devils’ lead to four points.
Foster’s pull-up jump shot propelled Duke to a 75-69 lead. Ejiofor countered with a three-pointer for St. John’s, however, Foster’s forceful layup pushed the score to 77-72 with 1:27 remaining, placing the Red Storm in a state of urgent need.
Anticipatedly, St. John’s exerted immediate pressure from the outset, disputing virtually every segment of the playing surface. Duke encountered similar difficulties as Kansas had in the preceding round, where inbound passes proved challenging in the early stages.
Ultimately, the Blue Devils found their rhythm and established a 35-28 lead after an 18-5 scoring surge. Yet, subsequent to four St. John’s three-pointers, the Red Storm held a 40-39 advantage at the intermission.
Having managed only 11 successful attempts out of 35 from beyond the arc against Kansas, St. John’s achieved 9 successful shots out of 18 in the first half on Friday. This included a three-pointer by Mitchell, who had been 0 for 14 from long range for the entire season, and a perfect 3-for-3 performance from Prey, who had entered the game averaging 4.1 points per contest.
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AP March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness