CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A.J. Griffin incurred the ire of coach Mike Krzyzewski when he passed on an open 3-pointer late in the No. 7 Blue Devils’ tight game at Virginia.
“What are you doing? Just shoot. Like, you should shoot all the time, whenever you get it, and your next shot is the first shot,” Krzyzewski said he told Griffin, a freshman and one of the top long-distance shooters in the country.
Griffin, who had missed seven of eight shots, got the message. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers and then scored on a drive, helping Duke hold on for a 65-61 victory Wednesday night.
“We have confidence that his next shot’s going to go in,” Krzyzewski said of Griffin, who has made 50 of 104 3-point tries this season. “Three of his next shots went in in the last four minutes and God Bless.”
Griffin’s first 3 gave the Blue Devils (24-4, 14-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) a 55-51 lead with 3:39 to play. His next one made it 58-53 with 2:41 left, and his driving basket made it 60-55 with just over two minutes to play. Trevor Keels’ basket with 56 seconds left and a free throw were just enough to finish it.
Kihei Clark made a career-best six 3-pointers, all in the first half, and scored a career-high 25 points for the Cavaliers (17-11, 11-7). They were trying to sweep the season series after winning 69-68 at Duke on Feb. 7. Instead, Krzyzewski won in his final visit to Charlottesvillle.
“He kept us in it offensively,” Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett said of Clark, whose also had seven assists and six rebounds.
Clark had never made more than four 3-pointers in a game, and made all six in a span of just over 11 minutes, scoring 18 consecutive points for Virginia.
“They were going in so I kept shooting,” Clark said,
Jeremy Roach led the Blue Devils with 15 points, and Griffin and Keels added 13 each. Jayden Gardner had 16, and Reece Beekman 11 for the Cavaliers.
Roach also was assigned to defend Clark after his fast start, and Krzyzewski said “I thought his performance was the differentiator. … His verve on offense really lifted us.”
Duke led 30-25 at halftime and by as many as eight in the second half. The Cavaliers used a 7-0 run to get within 52-51 with five minutes to play, Both teams had empty trips down court before Griffin made his first 3 from the top of the key.
Bennett paid tribute to Krzyzewski before the game, thanking him for all he’s done for the sport and presenting him with a plaque. Krzyzewski also walked across the court to greet longtime Cavaliers coach Terry Holland, who was seated next to the broadcast table.
“Tonight was beautiful. It showed the brotherhood in our league and the respect that programs have for one another and that coaches have for one another. It meant a great deal to me,” Krzyzewski said. “What they gave me weighs about 800 pounds,”
High Point 78, NC A&T 58
GREENSBORO — John-Michael Wright had 18 points as High Point defeated North Carolina A&T 78-58 on Wednesday night, giving coach G.G. Smith his first win in his third game leading the Panthers.
Jaden House had 15 points and six rebounds for High Point (12-17, 6-9 Big South Conference), which ended its four-game losing streak. Zach Austin added 14 points. Bryant Randleman had 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
Kameron Langley had 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Aggies (11-18, 6-9). Collin Smith added 14 points and seven rebounds.
The Panthers improve to 2-0 against the Aggies on the season. High Point defeated North Carolina A&T 78-71 on Jan. 15.
UNC Greensboro 73, Western Carolina 64
GREENSBORO — Dante Treacy had a career-high 24 points as UNC Greensboro got past Western Carolina 73-64 on Wednesday night.
Kobe Langley had 14 points for UNC Greensboro (17-12, 9-8 Southern Conference). De’Monte Buckingham added 12 points and seven rebounds. Mohammed Abdulsalam had eight rebounds.
Marcus Banks had 13 points for the Catamounts (10-20, 4-13). Joe Petrakis added 11 points. Marlow Gilmore had 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Spartans improve to 2-0 against the Catamounts for the season. UNC Greensboro defeated Western Carolina 68-49 on Feb. 7.
Gardner-Webb 60, UNC Asheville 59
BOILING SPRINGS — Lance Terry scored 19 points and D’Maurian Williams made a go-ahead basket with 6.9 seconds left as Gardner-Webb edged past UNC Asheville 60-59 on Wednesday night.
Williams went to his left and sank a jumper from the free-throw line.
Zion Williams had 14 points and seven rebounds for Gardner-Webb (17-11, 11-4 Big South Conference). D’Maurian Williams added 12 points.
LJ Thorpe had 15 points for the Bulldogs (15-13, 7-8). Drew Pember added 13 points and nine rebounds. Trent Stephney had 10 points.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs improve to 2-0 against the Bulldogs for the season. Gardner-Webb defeated UNC Asheville 61-55 on Jan. 27.
Davidson 74, Duquesne 50
PITTSBURGH — Hyunjung Lee had 27 points as Davidson romped past Duquesne 74-50 on Wednesday night.
Lee shot 6 for 9 on 3-pointers.
Luka Brajkovic had 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Davidson (23-4, 13-2 Atlantic 10 Conference). Sam Mennenga added 12 points.
Kevin Easley Jr. had 16 points and five assists for the Dukes (6-20, 1-13), whose losing streak reached 13 games. Tyson Acuff added 15 points. Mounir Hima had 10 rebounds.
The Wildcats improve to 2-0 against the Dukes for the season. Davidson defeated Duquesne 72-61 on Feb. 14.
Appalachian State 78, Arkansas-Little Rock 66
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Michael Almonacy had a season-high 26 points as Appalachian State defeated Arkansas-Little Rock 78-66 on Wednesday night.
Adrian Delph had 18 points and eight rebounds for Appalachian State (18-12, 12-5 Sun Belt Conference). Justin Forrest added 11 points. Donovan Gregory had 10 points and seven assists.
CJ White scored a career-high 20 points for the Trojans (8-17, 3-10). Myron Gardner had a triple-double with 13 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. Isaiah Palermo had 12 points.
The Mountaineers improve to 2-0 against the Trojans for the season. Appalachian State defeated Arkansas-Little Rock 72-57 on Jan. 29.
East Carolina 64, South Florida 60
GREENVILLE — Brandon Suggs had 15 points as East Carolina edged past South Florida 64-60 on Wednesday night.
Tristen Newton had 15 points for East Carolina (14-13, 5-10 American Athletic Conference), which broke its four-game home losing streak. Tremont Robinson-White added 13 points.
Russel Tchewa had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls (7-20, 2-13), who have now lost six straight games. Caleb Murphy added 11 points. Corey Walker Jr. had 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Pirates improve to 2-0 against the Bulls on the season. East Carolina defeated South Florida 65-57 last Thursday.
Clemson 80, Wake Forest 69
CLEMSON, S.C. — Chase Hunter scored a career-high 21 points, Al-Amir Dawes added 19 and short-handed Clemson beat Wake Forest 80-69 on Wednesday night to snap a six-game losing streak.
Clemson was without leading scorer PJ Hall (15.5 points per game) due to a foot injury. But Guards Hunter and Dawes helped carry the weight without the Tigers star big man. Hunter was 10 of 12 from the field and Dawes made six straight free throws in the final 41 minutes to seal it.
Nick Honor had 13 points and Ian Schieffelin added 10 for Clemson (13-15, 5-12 ACC). Freshman Ben Middlebrooks, in his first start of the season, was held scoreless in 20 minutes.
Damari Monsanto had 17 points and seven rebounds, Jake LaRavia added 15 points and eight boards, and Alondes Williams scored 13 for Wake Forest (21-8, 11-7), which was seeking its sixth ACC road win. Isaiah Mucius, averaging 9.6 points, did not play.
Monsanto scored 13 points in the first half, matching his season high for a game. He was 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Seven of Wake Forest’s 11 made field goals were 3-pointers.
LaRavia missed his first nine shots of the game but scored seven straight Wake Forest points to get within 66-62.
Clemson is at Boston College on Saturday. Wake Forest hosts Louisville on Saturday before closing the regular season on Wednesday against North Carolina State.
Hampton 68, Campbell 66
HAMPTON, Va. — Marquis Godwin had 23 points, Russell Dean made a go-ahead basket with 1.3 seconds left, and Hampton narrowly beat Campbell 68-66 on Wednesday night.
Godwin made 5 of 7 3-pointers. Dean drove to his left and sank a step-back jumper from the free-throw line. Campbell’s heave at the buzzer hit hard off the backboard.
Dean had 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Hampton (9-17, 5-10 Big South Conference). Mario Haskett Jr and Najee Garvin each had 10 points.
Cedric Henderson Jr. had 23 points for the Fighting Camels (15-11, 8-7). Ricky Clemons added 18 points and six rebounds. Austin McCullough had eight rebounds.
The Pirates leveled the season series against the Fighting Camels. Campbell defeated Hampton 75-60 on Jan. 26.
