BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Jeremy Roach scored 16 points off the bench to lead No. 7 Duke to a 77-67 victory over Virginia Tech on Monday night.
Bothered by knee and ankle injuries of late, Roach shot 5 of 11 from the floor and made four 3-pointers for the Blue Devils (16-4, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have won three straight games and 11 of 12.
“I thought our team just had great togetherness,” coach Jon Scheyer said. “We hit some timely 3s and some guys stepped up in key moments. … Proud of this win. You get a chance to play two games in three days (Duke played Clemson on Saturday), and to win both of them is really good. Looking forward to building it from here.”
MJ Collins paced the Hokies (13-8, 5-5) with 17 points. Virginia Tech had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Duke grabbed the lead with a 12-0 run in the first half and never relinquished it. The Hokies cut a 35-29 halftime deficit to three on three occasions in the second half, with the final time coming on Hunter Cattoor’s 3-pointer with 14:07 remaining.
The Blue Devils, though, gradually pulled away behind 59.3% shooting in the final 20 minutes (16 of 27). Kyle Filipowski added 14 points for Duke, and Tyrese Proctor finished with 12.
Cattoor had 15 points for the Hokies. Sean Pedulla and Lynn Kidd scored 12 apiece.
“We had our shots and squandered some opportunities,” Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said. “But I tip my cap on this particular evening to their team, to their players and Jon. They had a good plan. They did a nice job. Nothing more than that.”
BIG PICTURE
Duke: The Blue Devils played like a top-10 team, shooting well (55.4% from the field) and dominating the rebounding category (38-20) in handing Virginia Tech just its second home loss this season. Duke lost five of its previous six visits to Cassell Coliseum.
“A ton of respect for Virginia Tech, a ton of respect for the environment here,” Scheyer said. “This is the reason you come to Duke is to play in environments like this, and they were ready to play. They did a great job focusing on what you can control, and so often, you can worry about a crowd. You can worry about what people are saying, and for our guys, they were just locked in on the game and the job that needed to be done.”
Virginia Tech: The Hokies squandered a great opportunity to enhance their NCAA Tournament resume. With their NET ranking hovering in the mid-40s and only one ranked opponent left on their schedule at the moment — a visit to No. 3 North Carolina — they’re running out of time and opportunities and may need some help from others down the stretch to secure an at-large bid.
“Our team had a tough night,” Young said. “Better days ahead.”
BOUNCING BACK
Roach, the senior captain, scored five points on 1-of-8 shooting in the Blue Devils’ 72-71 win over Clemson on Saturday. Coming off the bench for the second straight game — mainly because he hadn’t practiced — he hit a season-high four 3-pointers against the Hokies.
“I still think tonight he wasn’t fully himself,” Scheyer said. “He needs a week of practice to get back into the flow of who he’s been. The 3s were great. He had some big-time moments. He’s just done so much for us this year. He needs some practice time, and I think it says a lot about him just to be out here tonight.”
UP NEXT
Duke: Plays at No. 3 North Carolina on Saturday.
Virginia Tech: Plays at Miami on Saturday.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
