March 22nd, 2009 
Stephen Rhodes 
Posted in 
One thing can be said about the #2 seed Duke Blue Devils during tournament time – year-in, year-out, they are one of the more consistent teams, winning-wise, even though they haven’t been to the Sweet 16 since 2006. But nonetheless, they had a game to play Saturday against the #7 seed Texas Longhorns in Greensboro, NC - basically a home game for Duke. In any case, a new hero emerged for the Blue Devils in Gerald Henderson as he scored 24 points and hit three clutch free throws late. Those free throws proved huge as they sent Duke to the Sweet 16, defeating Texas 74-69.
Duke held a 64-54 lead with 7 minutes left in the game before A.J. Abrams and Varez Ward brought Texas back by keying a 13-3 run; Abrams scored 5 straight points while Ward finished the explosion with 8 consecutive points, tying the game at 67 with 1:44 remaining. Nolan Smith hit a pair of free throws with 47 ticks left on the game clock to put the Blue Devils up 71-69; Henderson hit a pair of free throws to seal the win for Duke.
Duke’s high scorer was Henderson with 24 points, 6 rebounds and an assist while Kyle Singler added 17 (including three 3-pointers) with 7 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals and a block. Texas was led by Abrams with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals while Ward, from off the bench, added 16 with a rebound, an assist and a steal; Damion James chipped in 15 with 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks but turning the ball over 5 times. Duke plays again on Thursday when they take on Villanova.
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