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No. 18 Duke comes alive in second half to rally past Miami

By The Sports Xchange

DURHAM, N.C. -- A new lineup for the second half gave No. 18 Duke new life.

And quite a bit more by the time the Blue Devils were finished Saturday night.

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Using an adjustment in personnel to launch the second half, Duke stormed past Miami in a comeback from a double-digit deficit to win 70-58 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"If we didn't pick it up the second half, we were going to get beat again," Duke guard Frank Jackson said.

Duke began the second half with a 22-1 explosion, snapping a two-game losing streak.

Matt Jones, who was scoreless in 10 first-half minutes, poured in 13 points in the first eight minutes of the second half on 5-of-5 shooting from the field for all of his scoring.

Jayson Tatum scored 14 points before fouling out, Luke Kennard added 11 and Jackson had 10 for Duke (15-4, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference).

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Tatum said the burst of energy accompanied by a spirited crowd was enough to make him want more.

"I think that was my real first taste of Cameron," the freshman forward said. "It was so loud."

Interim coach Jeff Capel said the turnaround was the only way the Blue Devils would collect the result they coveted.

"We needed life, desperately," Capel said. "Those guys (in the second-half lineup) brought it and they brought everyone along with them."

Davon Reed's 19 points, Bruce Brown's 15 and Ja'Quan Newton's 13 paced Miami (12-6, 2-4), which wrapped up a stretch of three consecutive road games with a 1-2 record.

The Hurricanes scored only four points in the first 11 1/2 minutes of the second half, trailing 56-40 by then.

"It was certainly a tale of two halves," Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. "I thought we executed our game plan excellent in the first half."

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Senior forward Amile Jefferson, two weeks after suffering a bruised foot, returned for Duke. He missed road losses to nationally ranked Florida State and Louisville but provided 12 rebounds and five points against Miami.

Capel, filling in after Mike Krzyzewski's back surgery earlier this month, tried various combinations. Of Duke's starters, only Jefferson and Tatum were on the court for the beginning of the second half and they were joined by Jackson, Jones and Marques Bolden.

Duke produced a 14-1 stretch to open the half and grab a 39-37 lead, with Miami calling timeout with 17:09 and 15:00 left. Jones hit two 3-pointers during the burst.

"Matt Jones came in and turned the game around," Larranaga said.

A putback dunk by Bolden, Tatum's free throw and another Jones 3-pointer extended to run to 20-1.

Miami had 12 of its 18 turnovers in the second half.

"We passed the ball to them more than we did to our teammates," Larranaga said. "We weren't sharp right away (in the second half), the initial possessions. ... We just didn't show up the second half to compete at a high level. I think the guys must have thought we won the game at halftime."

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Miami built a 12-point lead before holding a 36-25 halftime advantage, limiting Duke to 28.6 percent shooting from the field.

The Blue Devils had one assist on their eight field goals before the break.

Miami pulled out to an 18-11 lead midway through the first half. About four minutes later, it was 18-17 before Brown's 3-pointer sparked a 9-0 run for the Hurricanes.

Reed's 3-pointer made it 30-19, part of Miami's 6-of-12 shooting from the floor on first-half 3-pointers. Duke was 0 of 8 from long range in the half.

NOTES: Duke G Luke Kennard entered the weekend with an ACC-leading 35.4 minutes played per game. ... Miami freshmen Bruce Brown and Dewan Huell were in the starting lineup in their first Cameron Indoor Stadium appearances. ... Miami won two of its previous three visits to Duke, including a 2015 rout before Duke won a national championship later that season. ... Miami was coming off a 96-79 loss at Wake Forest, matching the most points allowed by the Hurricanes in coach Jim Larranaga's six seasons. ... Duke is back in action Monday night at home against North Carolina State, which lost earlier Saturday to visiting Wake Forest. ... Miami begins a three-game homestand Wednesday by facing Boston College.

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