North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Duke
Blue Devils Top Wolfpack, 81-68
1/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2006
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Sean Dockery saved Duke again. This time, he didn't wait until the final buzzer.
With the top-ranked Blue Devils' unbeaten record on the line, Dockery made a go-ahead 3-pointer and set up another an instant later by Lee Melchionni to help them beat No. 14 North Carolina State 81-68 Wednesday night.
J.J. Redick had 28 points and Shelden Williams added 21, but it was Dockery's plays down the stretch that helped Duke reach 17-0 (5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) for only the second time. The other was during a run to the NCAA title in 1992.
The Wolfpack (14-3, 3-2) was never too far away in a game that featured 16 lead changes and nine ties, the last at 65 following a free throw from N.C. State's Gavin Grant. On the other end, Dockery swished a 3 as Tony Bethel slammed into him.
When his free throw clanged off the rim, Dockery chased down the rebound and found Melchionni alone at the top of the key. His jumper also found the mark, and suddenly, the Blue Devils had a six-point lead. They never were challenged again.
They trailed at halftime for only the second time this season - the other came against Virginia Tech on Dec. 4. That's when Dockery made a 40-foot heave at the buzzer to give Duke the improbable victory. He made sure this one had little drama in the final seconds.
Duke closed this game with a 16-3 run. Earlier this month, the Wolfpack saw North Carolina score the final 13 points to win.
Cedric Simmons had an incredible game for N.C. State, finishing with a career-high 28 points, nine rebounds, seven blocks and three steals.
Grant had 13 points for N.C. State, his first game in double figures in more than a month. But he and Simmons couldn't overcome uncharacteristically poor games from Engin Atsur and Ilian Evtimov. They each scored only two points, about nine below their averages.
And the Wolfpack were 2-for-11 from beyond the arc after hitting 42 3-pointers over the previous four games.
Williams, while overshadowed a bit by Simmons, added nine rebounds, three blocks and five steals for Duke, barely missing his third consecutive double-double. Redick was his usual self, making four 3-pointers and converting all 10 free throws to move into 11th on the ACC career scoring list.
But it was Dockery, a sometimes-forgotten senior, who came through in the clutch. He finished with 10 points and had five assists against no turnovers in a gritty 32 minutes.
