Boxscore – HTM | PDF
 
Portland, OR  - Portland State had number-one ranked Duke on the run for more than 25 minutes, but the Blue Devils took over down the stretch, beating the Vikings, 99-81, in the first game of the Motion Bracket at the PK80 Invitational at Memorial Coliseum.
 
The Vikings led at halftime, 49-45, and held the lead for more than 20 minutes of the contest. But Duke used superior shooting, rebounding and a huge foul disparity to its advantage in the second half.
 
The Blue Devils improved to 6-0 on the season and advance on the winner's side of the Motion Bracket. Portland State suffered its first loss of the season, and at 4-1 will take on the winner of Texas/Butler at noon on Friday at the Moda Center.
 
"Our guys really reacted well to the setting and the way things were set up for us. Our program was excited to play Duke for a long time and I thought we responded very well," said Viking Coach Barret Peery.
 
Portland State had the Blue Devils on their heels for the majority of the first half. The Vikings built a five-point lead and were up 26-21 with 11:21 left. Senior guard Deontae North came off the bench to score 12 points over a four-minute stretch to highlight the run.
 
Duke briefly cut the lead to two, but the Vikings held serve. A North three-pointer – his third of the half – then a pair of free throws pushed PSU's lead to 35-27 at the 7:28 mark.
 
The Blue Devils chipped away and finally tied the game at 42-42 with 2:10 left in the half. But the Vikings got the lead back. When junior guard Michael Mayhew buried a 28-foot three-pointer with five seconds left, the Vikings went into the locker room with a 49-45 advantage.
 
North had 20 points at halftime, making 6-9 shots, 4-5 three-pointers and 4-4 free throws. Perhaps just as important, the Vikings had committed only one turnover through the first 20 minutes.
 
Early in the second half, a Wendell Carter Jr. layup got Duke its first lead since the early moments at 54-53. PSU was relentless though. The Vikings came back to lead again. Senior guard Bryce Canda's three had PSU back on top, 58-54.
 
PSU last lead came at 60-59. From there, Duke had found its offense and was able to get 26 second-half free throws. An 8-0 run and the Blue Devils were up 67-60. PSU got within three briefly, but it was all Blue Devils from there, outscoring the Vikings 29-14 over the last 10 minutes.
 
Duke shot 32-62 from the field (.508) and made 31-42 free throws overall (.738). The Vikings shot only 30-77 from the field (.390) and had just 9-12 free throws (.750). Ultimately, PSU had 33 fouls and five players foul out. Duke had 16 fouls. The Blue Devils also out-rebounded PSU, 49-37.
 
"We played a fantastic first half, and the whole game really, really hard. Their size was a tough deal for us," Peery said. "When they would miss shots around the rim, we would have four or five guys there, but they were able to keep the ball alive with their size. That was difficult for us because we had so much foul trouble with our big guys."
 
North finished with a team-high 24 points for the Vikings. Canda added 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
 
Trevon Duval led Duke with 22 points. Marvin Begley III (18 points, 15 rebounds) and Wendell Carter Jr. (16 points, 10 rebounds) each had double-doubles. Grayson Allen added 14 points and nine assists.
 
It marked the first time in school history that Portland State had faced the top-ranked team in the nation. PSU had twice previously faced a number-two team (including Duke once).
 
GAME NOTES: PSU committed only seven turnovers in the game  to 11 for Duke… Holland "Boo Boo" Woods had eight points, five rebounds and five assists off the bench for PSU… Friday's game will be televised on ESPNU.