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NEW YORK (AP) -- Every time Duke (No. 1 ESPN/USA Today, No. 2 AP) huddled on the sidelines
in Friday night's Preseason NIT championship game against Temple,
coach Mike Krzyzewski couldn't help but notice Carlos Boozer.
|  | | Carlos Boozer scored 26 on 10-for-14 shooting Friday and won the MVP trophy at the Preseason NIT. |
"Carlos was animated in the timeouts," Krzyzewski said. "He
wanted the ball."
Jason Williams made sure Boozer got it.
The two sophomores refused to let Duke lose, as the Blue Devils
pulled out a 63-61 victory over a hardscrabble Temple team.
Williams hit the 3-pointer that put Duke in front for good with
2:05 to play, then scrambled to recover a loose ball for a crucial
possession in the final minute. Boozer, who had 13 of his 26 points
down the stretch and was named the tournament MVP, then scored the
clinching basket with 17 seconds to play.
"We connected out there," said Boozer, who hit 10 of 14 shots.
"We made great plays, played good defense. We got jump balls and
we got loose balls. Those were key plays for us. Six points down
with 2:40 to play, a lot of teams fold. Not us."
Temple still had time to tie, but Duke's defense never allowed
the Owls a decent chance at the 3-pointer they needed.
Temple's last gasp came as Lynn Greer went to the foul line with
1.6 seconds left. He made the first shot, then deliberately missed
the second. The ball squirted out of bounds. That gave Temple
another chance, but Kevin Lyde's wild shot was not close.
"We take pride in our defense," Williams said. "The D in Duke
stands for defense."
Duke (4-0) won its first Preseason NIT championship since the
inaugural event in 1985-86. Temple (4-1) was making its first
appearance in the tourney's title game.
Texas defeated Indiana 70-58 in the consolation game for third
place.
Temple stayed with Duke through the first 20 minutes, fighting
off the Blue Devils' pressure and applying plenty of its own with a
tough matchup zone.
Duke's solution to the zone was to shoot from outside. Mike
Dunleavy opened the game with a 3-pointer and reserve Chris Duhon
nailed a pair of them.
Shane Battier hit a 3-pointer at the end of the half to give
Duke a 31-29 lead and then connected with another at the start of
the second half. Then Dunleavy hit one to break a 34-34 tie.
Shortly after that, Temple's 6-foot-10 Ron Rollerson was forced
out of the game with his fourth personal foul, costing the Owls
under the boards. Rollerson had three personals in the first eight
minutes and sat out the rest of the first half.
Temple hung on, though, with Lyde taking over the heavy work
inside. When Duke opened a seven-point lead at 41-34, Lyde scored
four straight points, and a 3-pointer by Alex Wesby tied the score
again. Then a goaltending call against Casey Sanders gave Temple
the lead with just over 11 minutes to play.
Again, Duke went outside for a 3-pointer by Williams that put
the Blue Devils back on top. Greer and Ronn Blackshear responded
with 3-pointers that gave Temple the lead, one the Owls held
through most of the last 10 minutes.
Williams had nine points and 10 assists for Duke. Greer led
Temple with 15 points, while Lyde had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
"We feel very fortunate to win, not that we didn't earn it,"
Krzyzewski said. "I thought we earned it, but it was such an
evenly matched game. You can look at the stats for everything and
they are about the same for both teams. I think basically that is
how the game went. Sometimes we played a little better than them
and then they played a little better."
Now the two teams get to do it again in eight days at
Philadelphia. Temple coach John Chaney rolled his eyes at the
prospect of a rematch.
"I'm gonna get me a box of Tylenol next time," he said.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Temple Clubhouse
Duke Clubhouse
Duke's Carlos Boozer isn't distracted by NBA talk
Vitale: Duke makes Pre-NIT statement
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jason Williams penetrates and dishes to Carlos Boozer for the hoop.
avi: 748 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Casey Sanders dishes to Nate James cutting through the lane for the slam.
avi: 900 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Lynn Greer finds Alen Wesby making the backdoor cut for the layup.
avi: 737 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Lynn Greer drives the lane and drains the one-handed floater.
avi: 584 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Mike Krzyzewski talks with ESPN's Dick Vitale after Duke's preseason NIT victory.
wav: 638 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jason Williams talks with ESPN's Dick Vitale after leading Duke to a preseason tournament win.
wav: 380 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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