NC State backcourt stars in handing Duke its first loss of season
It shouldn't be a surprise that No. 2 Duke lost for the first time this season in the same building, albeit against a different team, where it's season ended unexpectedly last season in the NCAA tournament against 13th-seeded Mercer. PNC Arena in Raleigh has been a place where the Blue Devils' dreams go to die lately.
The latest nightmare performance by the Blue Devils left only two undefeated teams in Division I college basketball -- Kentucky and Virginia.
NC State guards Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner made sure of its Sunday in a 87-75 victory. Lacey was the star, outshining Duke's fabulous freshman Jahlil Okafor and helping the Wolfpack take over the game in the second half.
Lacey scored 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting and made five 3-pointers. Turner added four 3-pointers and finished the game with 16 points. The Wolfpack scored 50 points in the final 20 minutes allowing their fans to storm the court and celebrate another upset over their hated rival down the road in Durham.
North Carolina State upset Duke here two years ago when the Blue Devils were ranked No. 1 in the nation. The Blue Devils have lost four of their past five games in the building, including the upset by Mercer that ended last season.
After falling behind by 19 at one point, Duke made a run and cut the lead to eight. Okafor finished the game with 23 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and three blocks but he didn't get a lot of help from the Duke backcourt. Quinn Cook scored 18 points but Matt Jones and Tyus Jones combined to make just two of 14 field goals.
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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
