Missed free throws shot No. 4 Duke in the foot Saturday at the Breslin Center. Made free throws carried the Blue Devils (10-0) to the finish line in a battle of early-season undefeated blue bloods.
A late closeout from No. 7 Michigan State (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten) rewarded Duke’s Isaiah Evans with three attempts from the charity stripe. He knocked down each of them, giving the Blue Devils a five-point lead with 58 seconds to go.
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Michigan State center Carson Cooper, who finished with a team-high 16 points and 16 rebounds, responded with a basket on the other end.
But then budding Duke star Cameron Boozer passed out of a double team in the post, finding Caleb Foster beyond the arc. The junior guard fired from long range and watched as the ball bounced off the rim and kissed off the glass before falling through the net.
Boozer wound up fouling out, except it didn’t cost the freshman. He clocked out with 18 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in a 66-60 victory.
The Blue Devils have now taken down four ranked opponents this season, including three in a row. That list includes victories over a No. 24 Kansas team, a No. 22 Arkansas squad, a No. 15 Florida group and now a triumph against the seventh-ranked Spartans.
This story is being updated.
