WASHINGTON -- Duke's freshmen didn't flinch in their first postseason game.
Instead, they flourished.
Forward Brandon Ingram and guard Luke Kennard each scored 22 points as No. 19 Duke held off North Carolina State 92-89 in the second round of the ACC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at the Verizon Center.
"We were just trying to get after it offensively," Ingram said. "We were OK defensively."
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It was an offensive free-for-all, but a late-game defensive stop proved to be enough for Duke.
N.C. State had a chance to tie on a late possession, but a turnover with 10 seconds to play thwarted that. After Kennard missed a free throw, the Wolfpack got the ball back with 1.4 seconds remaining but didn't convert on guard Anthony Barber's desperation heave from beyond half-court.
"They kept coming. They kept trying," N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said of his players. "We come up a play or two short."
Kennard said it became apparent that letting up wasn't an option with both teams shooting better than 52 percent from the field.
"Everybody is bringing their 'A' game," Kennard said. "Both teams did. It was fun when we scored. Not so much when they did."
Guard Grayson Allen's 19 points and center Marshall Plumlee's 17 points and 10 rebounds also lifted fifth-seeded Duke (23-9), which meets fourth-seeded Notre Dame on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals.
Plumlee's three-point play off a rebound broke a tie with 1:14 remaining for the game's final points.
Earlier in the second half, Plumlee suffered a broken nose. The senior was receiving postgame medical treatment and was unavailable for comment.
"We know how tough he is," Allen said. "We know he battled down there in the post. So to see him come in, he's got blood dripping down his face, he's still out there yelling like a maniac. It fires the team up."
Ingram made five of Duke's 12 3-point baskets.
Barber, the ACC scoring leader, led N.C. State with 29 points.
Forward Abdul-Malik Abu's 19 points, guard Caleb Martin's 16 points and guard Maverick Rowan's 15 points also boosted 12th-seeded N.C. State (16-17), which lost to Duke for the third time this season.
"I do believe it was a great college basketball game," Gottfried said. "Unfortunately for us, we just came up a little shy."
Duke went up 61-57 early in the second half courtesy of three 3-point baskets by three different players.
Barber suffered a bruised elbow and left the floor with 14:44 to play. A sleeve was put on and he returned about a minute later.
Duke had the game's biggest lead at 81-75 after a couple of turnovers turned into Kenanrd layups. Allen then hit a 3-pointer for an 84-75 edge.
"That was a big run for us. I could kind of feel the momentum shifting to our side when we made those plays," Kennard said.
Barber's four-point play with 4:58 left cut the gap to 86-81.
N.C. State chipped away, drawing within 88-87 on Barber's jumper. Forward Cody Martin's basket tied it, but Plumlee's key scoring play made the difference.
The teams played at a torrid pace in the first half, with N.C. State up 53-50 at the break. It was the second-highest scoring first half in ACC Tournament history, and neither team led by more than five points in the half.
N.C. State shot 62.9 percent from the field (22 of 35) and Duke was at 61.3 percent (19 of 31). The Wolfpack had only 35 points at halftime of last month's loss at Duke.
"You're amazed as a coach that these kids from both teams are hitting so many shots," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "People were hitting tough shots, too. It's not like the other team wasn't trying."
N.C. State led 32-30 less than 11 minutes into the game with the teams converting regularly on offense.
Ingram scored 13 points during one first-half stretch of slightly more than five minutes.
NOTES: Duke leads the series with N.C. State by 145-99. This was the 26th time the teams met in the ACC Tournament. Duke won last year in the quarterfinals. ... Duke won 88-78 on the road and 88-80 at home in the regular season this winter against N.C. State. ... Duke reached 50 points in the first half for the seventh time this season. ... In five seasons with Mark Gottfried as coach, N.C. State is 21-12 in March. ... Duke G Luke Kennard was in the starting lineup for only the seventh time this season. ... Duke F Brandon Ingram leads ACC freshmen in scoring (16.7 points per game) and rebounding (6.8).
