National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Duke 85, North Carolina 84
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Where: Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Officials: # John Cahill, # Bryan Kersey, # Tim Nestor
Attendance: 21750

DUKE 85, NORTH CAROLINA 84: Freshman Austin Rivers scored a game-high 29 points - including a 3-pointer at the buzzer - as the No. 9 Blue Devils stormed back from a 13-point second-half deficit to stun the No. 5 Tar Heels.

Rivers scored 16 of his points in the second half for visiting Duke (20-4, 7-2 ACC), which trailed 82-72 with 2:18 left before scoring on its final six possessions and closing the game with a 13-2 run. The Blue Devils finished with 14 3-pointers.

Tyler Zeller had 23 points and 11 rebounds for North Carolina (20-4, 7-2), but missed a critical free throw late that gave Duke a chance to win on the final possession.

Rivers’ 3-pointer - Duke’s third in the final two minutes - helped the Blue Devils earn their fifth win in six tries against North Carolina, which had a chance to earn sole possession of first place in the ACC.

Instead, the Tar Heels find themselves in a three-way tie with Duke and Florida State at 7-2.

Seth Curry finished with 15 points, Ryan Kelly had 13 and Mason Plumlee added 10 points and 15 rebounds for Duke, which avoided back-to-back defeats following Sunday’s home loss to Miami.

Harrison Barnes finished with a team-high 25 points for the Tar Heels, who led 43-40 at the half. John Henson had 12 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, and Kendall Marshall added 14 points and eight assists.

The Tar Heels opened the second half with a 14-4 run, and took a 57-44 lead with 15:10 left on Harrison Barnes’ 3-pointer.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Barnes had 19 of his points after halftime and also reached the 1,000-point milestone. … There were a combined 49 fouls … Thirty-seven of Duke’s 62 shot attempts came from 3-point range. … Rivers’ game-high point total was the most scored by a freshman against North Carolina in school history.
Top Game Performances
 
Duke   North Carolina
Austin Rivers 29 Scoring Harrison Barnes 25
Tyler Thornton 3 Assists Kendall Marshall 8
Mason Plumlee 14 Rebounds John Henson 17
Austin Rivers 5 Free Throws Made Harrison Barnes 8
Mason Plumlee 2 Steals Harrison Barnes 2
Mason Plumlee 2 Blocks Tyler Zeller 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Duke 85 43.5 14-36 17-26 8 31 2 5 10
North Carolina 84 49.2 1-6 21-30 14 41 3 3 9