Duke beats UNC in overtime behind Wendell Moore, Tre Jones’ crazy buzzer-beaters

For much of this year, North Carolina’s season hasn’t gone according to plan. The Tar Heels lost 12 of their first 22 games and are on the verge of missing out on the NCAA tournament.

Duke, meanwhile, has been successful this year, having won 19 of its first 22 games.

But none of that seemed to matter in this one. In what was the 254th meeting between Duke and UNC, the match was even.

But then the final two minutes of regulation happened. UNC, which led by nine points, missed a number of free throws, which allowed Duke to tie the score to send the game to overtime.

In overtime, Duke led early, then trailed by five points, but came back again and won 98-96.

Duke freshman Wendell Moore caught a Tre Jones miss, and put it back at the buzzer for the win. The Dean Smith Center was silent as Duke’s players dogpiled on the court, reminiscent of what happened after Austin Rivers hit a game-winning shot against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill in 2012.

UNC fans who had expected a win were angry. Some booed as they left the arena.

“We had some opportunities that we didn’t take advantage of, and that in some ways has been our story every time,” UNC coach Roy Williams said after the game, “but it doesn’t make any difference.”

The Tar Heels have now lost three consecutive games. The Blue Devils are on a five-game winning streak.

Similar to how UNC lost to Clemson earlier this season, the Tar Heels once again fell apart in the final few minutes. They had a nine-point lead with 2:06 remaining, but went 5-for-10 from the free throw line in the final 71 seconds.

That allowed Duke to cut the lead to three points with a chance to tie it in the final six seconds.

Jones, who finished with a game-high 28 points, was fouled as soon as he crossed halfcourt to prevent him from scoring a 3. He made the first free throw, then purposely missed the second one. Jones rebounded the basketball, temporarily lost it, picked it up, and threw up a prayer that went in, tying it before the buzzer sounded.

“Deflating,” UNC guard Cole Anthony said of watching Jones’ shot go in.

In overtime, Jones scored nine of the Blue Devils’ 14 points.

“He was at another level tonight,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Jones. “We won because of that kid.”

The Blue Devils led for only six seconds in regulation. The Tar Heels appeared to be the better team for most of it. UNC freshman guard Cole Anthony had a team-high 24 points and 11 rebounds. Junior forward Garrison Brooks had 18 points and 5 rebounds. It was the first time that both players scored 18 or more points in the same game since Nov. 8 when UNC beat UNC-Wilmington.

UNC led 44-35 at halftime.

Duke freshman forward Vernon Carey Jr. kept the Blue Devils in the game in the first half. He scored 18 points before halftime.

But he didn’t score any points in the second half. He picked up his fourth foul with about seven minutes remaining and fouled out with four minutes left.

The Tar Heels seemed to take advantage. They led by as many as 13 points in the second half.

But that wasn’t the end for Duke.

The Blue Devils sent the game to overtime on Jones’ big shot. And in overtime, the Blue Devils scored seven points in the last 16 seconds, including Moore’s put back, which won the game.

“It was just so tough, the way we lost,” said UNC freshman forward Armando Bacot, who finished with 12 points and fouled out in overtime. “I was just stressed out the whole time, I couldn’t even look at it. And the way they won, it was just sad. But I tip my hat off to them.”

And one

Duke : Even without Carey, and guard Cassius Stanley, who fouled out in overtime, the Blue Devils kept fighting. And in overtime, Jones took over.

UNC : The Tar Heels shot 52 percent from the floor for the game. It was their second highest field goal percentage for the year. The Tar Heels shot 59 percent in a 94-71 win over Miami on Jan. 25.

Personal foul

Duke: Duke struggled from behind the 3-point line. The Blue Devils were 1 of 15 in a 63-55 win against Boston College on Feb. 4. They were 4 of 18 against UNC.

UNC: The Tar Heels had a chance to seal the game, but their missed free throws allowed Duke to get back into it. Free throws have been an issue for the Tar Heels all season. The Tar Heels are shooting 65.6 percent from the free throw line as a team. They were 55.3 percent tonight.

After the game, players blamed themselves.

ICYMI

▪ This game marked the 100th anniversary season of the Duke-UNC rivalry. The first game was played at Duke’s Angier B. Duke Gymnasium on Jan. 24, 1920. The two teams wore special jerseys to honor the anniversary of the first game.

▪ In the past 100 games, prior to tonight’s game, the two teams split the series 50-50 and scored 7,746 points each.

▪ UNC honored former guard Joel Berry II at halftime by hanging his jersey in the rafters. Berry won the 2017 Final Four Most Outstanding Player award when the Tar Heels won the national title.

Making sense of the numbers

5: The Tar Heels missed five free throws in the 71 seconds of the game. The Tar Heels missed seven in the final four minutes, which was the reason Duke was able to climb back.

3: The Tar Heels scored 90 points or more for only the second time this season and did it by hitting only three 3-pointers.

4: The number of total players to foul out of the game. Duke had two players foul out, and UNC also had two.

18-16: Jones outscored UNC 18-16 in the final minute of regulation and in overtime.

“It all started with Tre,” said Moore, who hit the game-winning bucket. “Tre had that look in his eye. When he had that look, we knew that we could follow him to victory. He led us there today.”