DJ Steward scored 19 points and Jalen Johnson had a big second half to finish with 18 points as the freshmen propelled Duke past visiting Georgia Tech, 75-68, ending a three-game losing streak on Tuesday night in Durham, N.C.
Matthew Hurt added 17 points as the Blue Devils (6-5, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) responded after three road outings that went awry.
Duke scored the game's final seven points -- all on free throws -- after Khalid Moore's drive for a basket tied the game for Georgia Tech.
Jose Alvarado pumped in 26 points and Moses Wright had 12 points for Georgia Tech (7-5, 3-3), which was coming off a two-point loss to first-place Virginia. Wright also had 14 rebounds.
Duke has won 14 straight meetings with Georgia Tech, which hasn't pulled out a victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium since 2004.
Jordan Goldwire contributed 11 points off the bench for Duke, which was in danger of holding a four-game losing streak for the first time in 14 years.
The Blue Devils outscored Georgia Tech by 18-4 on free throws. The Blue Devils were 18-for-22 from the line, but they were just 5-for-16 on 3-point attempts.
Georgia Tech wiped out an 11-point hole and went up 61-60 with less than four minutes to play before Johnson's three-point play.
Alvarado hit a 3-pointer for Georgia Tech before another three-point play for Johnson, who ended up 7-for-11 from the field.
The Yellow Jackets committed a turnover and never made a shot in the final 80 seconds.
Alvarado shot 10-for-15 from the field. He had five assists and made three steals, twice leading to breakaway layups during the Yellow Jackets' late-game rally.
There were 10 lead changes in the first half, but Duke closed the half on a 10-0 run for a 33-25 lead. Georgia Tech made just one of its final 11 attempts from the field in the opening half.
--Field Level Media
Georgia Tech | Duke | |
Jose Alvarado 26 | Scoring | DJ Steward 19 |
Moses Wright 6 | Assists | Jordan Goldwire 7 |
Moses Wright 14 | Rebounds | Matthew Hurt 8 |
Jose Alvarado 3 | Free Throws Made | DJ Steward 6 |
Jose Alvarado 3 | Steals | Jalen Johnson 3 |
Moses Wright 3 | Blocks | Jalen Johnson 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Georgia Tech | 68 | 43.8 | 8-24 | 4-5 | 15 | 27 | 5 | 8 | 11 |
Duke | 75 | 44.8 | 5-16 | 18-22 | 16 | 38 | 3 | 8 | 14 |