Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 27, 1992 TAG: 9203270288
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL BRILL SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: PHILADELPHIA LENGTH: Medium
In a tense struggle between good friends, the Blue Devils led from start to finish to eliminate Seton Hall 81-69 and advance to the NCAA Tournament East Regional final.
Top-ranked and top-seeded Duke (31-2) will play sixth-ranked and second-seeded Kentucky on Saturday night at 7. If the Blue Devils win, it will bring their fifth consecutive Final Four appearance and sixth in seven years.
Fittingly, this was strictly a team victory. Unheralded Tony Lang gave Duke an unexpected offensive burst with a career-high 16 points, including seven of the first 10 as the Blue Devils took 10-2 lead.
It was a cat-and-mouse, defensive-oriented battle all the way, with each team doing a good job of keeping the other's star from breaking loose.
But Duke simply had too many weapons, and except for one brief moment when Seton Hall (23-9) cut a 13-point deficit to 64-58 with 7:32 left, the Blue Devils played with poise and precision.
The coaches, Mike Krzyzewski and P.J. Carlesimo, are the best of friends, and they are assistants on the U.S. Olympic team.
The teams played as if they knew what each would do, and for Duke guard Bobby Hurley, it was an agonizing evening.
Hurley had to play head-to-head against brother Danny most of the game, and he had one of his poorest offensive outings. Bobby Hurley scored four points, handed out seven assists and made a season-high six turnovers.
"It was a very, very difficult game for Bobby to play," Krzyzewski said. "I don't think he expected Danny to play that many minutes [18]."
Bobby Hurley twice missed his first free throw with Duke in the bonus when the outcome was in doubt, and when it was over, he admitted he felt like the world was off his shoulders.
"I'm just glad to get that one over with," he said. "Playing against all my friends, I never felt comfortable."
The rest of his teammates didn't have that problem.
Seton Hall did a great job of clamping down on Christian Laettner, holding him to 16 points, four in the last half.
But Laettner, as he has done so often, made the biggest basket of the game.
Ahead 68-62, Krzyzewski took a timeout with 3:36 left and set up a play for Laettner. The All-American got the ball on the post and sank a tough rainbow over Seton Hall's ferocious defender, Jerry Walker.
After that, Duke's defense did its job, as it had throughout most of the game. The Devils kept Seton Hall from even taking 3-point attempts - the Pirates made just one - and rebounded every miss.
Finally, free throws by Grant Hill and Brian Davis clinched what was a most efficient performance.
This was blue-collar Duke, not the running, jamming Devils who have delighted their fans all year. But it worked just the same.
\ see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB