CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Miami guard Bruce Brown may only be a freshman, but he is quickly establishing himself as a "big game" player.
Brown, who had a career-high 30 points in a rout of North Carolina earlier this season, scored a game-high 25 points and was the only one on his team in double figures in leading the Hurricane (20-8, 10-6 ACC) to a 55-50 victory over shorthanded Duke (22-7, 10-6) here Saturday afternoon.
The No. 10 Blue Devils got 16 points each from guards Luke Kennard and Frank Jackson but couldn't overcome a season-worst 31.8 percent shooting performance that resulted in a season-low point total.
Throw in the 15 points he scored in the first meeting with the Blue Devils and Brown now has scored 70 points against the top two traditional ACC powers in his first collegiate season.
Brown scored his team's first seven points of the game and finished with the last two on a breakaway dunk in the closing seconds after the Blue Devils had cut a six-point deficit in half with seven seconds remaining on Kennard's 3-pointer.
"Honestly, I think I've been playing in big-time games my whole life in AAU and high school," Brown said. "I don't think it affects the way I play at all. I play the same way every game."
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was a little more straightforward.
"I think he's had a great and was terrific today," Krzyzewski said. "Overall, when you're defending them somebody will probably score. He scored half their points almost. Someone will score some points. He had a great game and he scored most of them.
"He's an outstanding player."
On a day when both team's defenses ruled the floor -- Miami shot only 37.9 from the field and avoided matching its season low by just one point -- Brown was 11 of 18 from the field, making one of his two from beyond the 3-point arc and canning both of his free throw attempts.
The reason for his play against big-time foes?
"He's not caught up in the hype," Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. "He's not caught up in reputations. What he is all about is doing the best he can do on the court and off the court."
And the Hurricanes needed him. Take away Brown's shooting and the rest of the team was 11 of 40 (27.5 percent) from the field.
"I'm just at a loss for words," senior guard Davon Reed said. "I'm thankful Bruce came in and had a lights-out game."
The win kept the Hurricanes in contention for one of the top four spots in next month's ACC tournament, which would mean a double-bye into the quarterfinals of the 15-team event in Brooklyn. They are pretty much assured of having a first-round bye.
The loss for the Blue Devils mathematically erases their chances of earning a share of the regular-season title. But his team's health is of more concern for Krzyzewski now.
Krzyzewski kept guard Grayson Allen, the team's No. 3 scorer with a 15.0 average, on the bench to rest an injured ankle in anticipation of the NCAA tourney, and he played forward Amile Jefferson only 21 minutes because of a chronic foot problem.
"I've been think about him and Amile for a week," Krzyzewski said when asked when he made the decision to not play Allen. "They've been playing hurt, bottom line. ... We've got to get well. All these games are important, but we've got to get them well. The most important games are going to beplayed in a couple of weeks.
"We're going to be there, and wherever we are there, we're going to be one of the teams that starts zero-and-zero."
NOTES: Duke was without starting G Grayson Allen, who rested an ankle injury. He is averaging 15.0 points but had only seven in the first meeting with Miami, a 70-58 Duke victory, and just eight points and one assist in Duke's loss at Syracuse his last game. ... Coming off a three-game suspension, G Ja'Quan Newton did not start for Miami but entered the game at the 14:00 mark of the first half. He ended up playing 24 minutes and scored seven points. ... Sophomore G Luke Kennard reached the 1,000-point mark with his 16 points giving him 1,003 for his career. ... Duke is back home for a Tuesday night game against Florida State and finishes Saturday at North Carolina. ... Miami is on the road for its last two regular-season games -- at Virginia Tech on Monday and at Florida State on Saturday.
