Top national seed Duke survived 32 points from Aubrey Dawkins and 7’6” of Tacko Fall, with some help from two friendly rolls in the final seconds, in a 77-76 win over #9 East seed Central Florida on Sunday.
R.J. Barrett rebounded a Zion Williamson free-throw miss with 11 seconds to go and converted a contested layup to put the Blue Devils (31-5) back on top.
Williamson, who had 32 points and 11 rebounds in 40 minutes, had scored on a drive into the lane that also drew the fifth foul on Fall, who had 15 points, and seven dunks, to go with six rebounds in 25 minutes of floor time.
Central Florida (24-9) had led 74-70 on a Fall dunk with 2:08 to go. A Cam Reddish three at the 1:43 mark cut the margin to one, before a pair of free throws by B.J. Taylor with 45 seconds left put the Knights back up by three.
Dawkins, the son of UCF coach Johnny Dawkins, a former Duke star and assistant under coach Mike Krzyzewski, was 12-of-18 from the field and 5-of-7 from three-point range.
Augusta Free Press coverage of the 2019 postseason is presented by Bear Creek. Serving Waynesboro, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg and surrounding communities, Bear Creek provides a hassle-free process to help homeowners create outdoor living spaces that bring people together. Schedule a consultation at BearCreek.co.
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Chris Graham
