Duke 73, Ohio State 68
DURHAM, N.C. -- Second-ranked Duke added another check mark in its run through highly ranked teams, using a strong finishing touch against fourth-ranked Ohio State on Wednesday night.
The Blue Devils overcame a 10-point first-half deficit and then snatched the lead with less than six minutes to play, winning 73-68 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke won its 97th consecutive non-conference home game, a mark that's the longest active streak in the country. It came as the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge series came to a close.
Ryan Kelly, who dealt with first-half foul trouble, hit a couple 3-pointers to propel the Blue Devils (7-0) into the lead.
Duke's Mason Plumlee scored 21 points and grabbed 17 rebounds and freshman Rasheed Sulaimon poured in all 17 of his points in the second half. Kelly finished with 15 points before fouling out with less than 30 seconds left.
Duke played its third top-five opponent this season, already topping then-No. 3 Kentucky and then-No. 2 Louisville.
Deshaun Thomas scored 16 points for Ohio State (4-1). Lenzelle Smith Jr. and Aaron Craft, who also fouled out, added 11 points each.
Duke came out strong after halftime, pulling within 37-34 early in the second half. Guard Seth Curry didn't have a field goal until less than 10 minutes remained. The Blue Devils had a chance to tie on their next possession and failed.
Still, Duke was within 51-50 on Sulaimon's 3-pointer. Evan Ravenel's basket for Ohio State was followed by Kelly's tying 3-point basket.
Kelly bagged another 3-pointer at the 5:42 mark to put Duke ahead for the first time since the opening minutes.
The Blue Devils pushed their lead beyond four points for the first time at 62-57 with less than 1:40 to play after guard Quinn Cook scored on a nifty move. They extended it when Sulaimon scored on a fastbreak and Ohio State was called for goaltending. Cook ended up with 12 points.
Thomas posted eight of Ohio State's first 18 points as the Buckeyes built an 18-11 lead on the way a brief 10-point lead.
Thomas went to the bench with two fouls, but Ohio State stood firm during his absence and carried a 31-23 edge into halftime.
The Blue Devils shot 10-for-12 on free throws in the first half to stay within range.
The Buckeyes did much of their work on defense. At one point late in the first half, it had taken 30 shots from the field compared to 14 for Duke.
The Blue Devils improved to 7-0 for the third season in a row. Duke's only November loss in its last 57 outings came last year at Ohio State by 85-63.
NOTES: Duke has the best record of any team in either conference in ACC/Big Ten Challenge games at 12-2. The Blue Devils are 5-0 at home in those games. ... Ohio State is 5-6 in the challenge series, with a four-game winning streak in the event coming to an end. ... This was Ohio State's first appearance in Cameron Indoor Stadium as the previous six meetings, which were split 3-3, were played on neutral courts four times and in Columbus, Ohio, two times.