Gonzaga upsets Duke in college basketball

Lahaina, Hawaii – Duke thrived on intimidation through its athleticism to win the season's first five games and claim the nation's No. 1 ranking.

On Wednesday, No. 3 Gonzaga overwhelmed Duke early and delivered what looked to be a haymaker punch to start the second half. The Blue Devils led Gonzaga for a mere 12 seconds in a scintillating Maui Invitational championship game that ended with an 89-87 Bulldogs win.

"We were physically ready to play but we weren't as emotionally ready to play as we needed to be," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

Freshman point guard Tre Jones of Apple Valley contributed to that poor early start when he missed a breakaway dunk. But he reversed the game's flow in the second half when he scored, stole the ball in the backcourt to draw a foul and hit two free throws. Duke trailed by 16 before Jones' heroics sparked a comeback.

"They got no quit in them," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said.

In the end, the two players who led their respective teams in scoring decided this one.

When Duke's R.J. Barrett switched to Gonzaga's Rui Hachimura on defense, the 6-8 junior forward scored over the 6-7 freshman for what proved to be the game's final basket with 1 minute, 12 seconds to play.

Hachimura, every bit as much of a future NBA player as Barrett, relished the challenge.

"He switched on me and then he tried to play one-on-one against me," said Hachimura, who had 20 points and seven rebounds.

"And then I was like, 'OK, let's do it.' I have to, you know, we're the best team in the country and I'm going to be like, you know, I'm the best player too, so I have to guard him."

Jones' play during that stellar sequence, which came with 15:50 to play and Gonzaga leading 61-45, could very well be the lasting lesson for the Blue Devils from this loss.

"The last 14, 15 minutes of the game," Krzyzewski said, "I thought we dictated everything. It started with Tre's play. All of our guys need to know that just one guy making a play like that it can turn the emotion of the game around. Tre did that."

But Gonzaga, a talented team with the experience Duke lacks — Hachimura and 6-8 junior Brandon Clarke, who had 17 points and five rebounds — would not be denied in its quest to claim a win that could make the Zags the NCAA title favorite.

Barrett and Williamson led Duke with 23 and 22 points. Jones had 17 points, three assists and two steals.

"We finally started to fight in the last 14 minutes," Duke's Javin DeLaurier said, "whereas before we had just come to play."

The Blue Devils missed their final seven shots of the game — four were blocked — any of which could have tied the score.