PORTLAND, ORE.
For the third straight game at the Phil Knight Invitational, the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils started slow.
And for the third time, it didn’t matter.
Trailing No. 7 Florida 82-72 with just over four minutes to play, Duke (8-0) finished on a 15-2 run, capped by four free throws and a key steal by freshman Gary Trent Jr., to win the PK80 Motion Bracket championship, 87-84.
In a game eerily similar to its 85-78 overtime win over Texas Friday night, the Blue Devils started slow and had a key player in foul trouble – this time Wendell Carter Jr.
And once again, Duke faced a double-digit second-half deficit.
Down 10 with four to play, freshman Trevon Duval got the rally started with a basket inside, followed quickly by a pair of Marvin Bagley III free throws to cut it to six, 82-76.
A Grayson Allen three-pointer, followed by pair of Bagley III buckets inside, made it 84-83, setting the stage for Trent, who gave the Blue Devils the lead with a pair of free throws before snatching a key steal to put his team in control in the eventual victory.
Bagley III finished with 30 points and 15 rebounds and was joined in double figures by Trent Jr. (15), Allen (14) and Duval (11).
Carter Jr., who was in foul trouble for much of the contest, was held scoreless in the first half but finished with six points and seven rebounds.
Florida (5-1) was led by junior Jalen Hudson, who scored 24 points to go along with 10 rebounds, and junior KeVaughn Allen, who tallied 17.
The road trip continues this week for Duke, which faces Indiana on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
This story was originally published November 27, 2017 1:20 AM.