01-19-2006, 09:40 AM
Duke pulls away vs. NC State, improves to 17-0
Playing third fiddle to fellow Duke seniors J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams doesn't bother Sean Dockery at all. He gets plenty of attention and respect where it matters most -- in his own locker room.
"If people overlook me -- oh, well," Dockery said. "My team and my coach, that's my family, and they know what I'm doing. That's a great feeling."
Helping No. 1 Duke stay unbeaten feels pretty good, too.
Dockery made a go-ahead 3-pointer and set up another an instant later by Lee Melchionni to help the Blue Devils beat No. 14 North Carolina State 81-68 on Wednesday night.
Redick had 28 points and 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.
"That's the best team we've played," Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "They know what they're doing and they do it well. It's a big win for us."
The Wolfpack (14-3, 3-2) were never too far away in a game that featured 16 lead changes and nine ties, the last at 65 following a free throw from NC 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 were never challenged again.
"Plays like that, we practice that a lot," Dockery said. "Coach always talks about plays that take the life out of the other team. And that play right there, that's what it did."
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.
And his effort came on a gimpy foot that nearly caused him to sit out the game.
"I didn't think Sean was going to be able to play," Krzyzewski said. "We were a little bit worried it might be real serious, but it wasn't. He played hurt, yet you wouldn't know it. I'm proud of him."
Duke closed this game with a 16-3 run. Earlier this month, the Wolfpack saw North Carolina score the final 13 points to win 82-69.
"I can't compare games," NC State coach Herb Sendek said. "I thought our team played great basketball. Our guys have nothing to be ashamed of. Our guys competed really hard and played really well. I want them to feel good about themselves."
Cedric Simmons had an incredible game for NC State, finishing with a career-high 28 points, nine rebounds, seven blocks and three steals. Grant scored 13 points, 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.
"We've got to learn how to finish," Simmons said. "It was kind of the same thing that happened at the Carolina game. But I got some confidence and I learned that I can play with the best."
The Wolfpack were 2-for-11 from beyond the arc after hitting 42 3-pointers over the previous four games.
"We knew we had to shut them down at some point," Redick said. "We really wanted to take them out of their comfort zone."
Williams, while overshadowed a bit by Simmons, added nine rebounds, three blocks and five steals for Duke, barely missing his third consecutive double-double while moving past Mike Gminski to become the school's top shot blocker.
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 who came through in the clutch. He finished with 10 points and had five assists against no turnovers in a gritty 32 minutes. Fellow senior Melchionni, who got the starting nod in place of freshman Josh McRoberts, had 12 points, all on 3-pointers.
"Sean and Lee, they both played like veterans," Krzyzewski said. "We're going to need that. You have players like Shelden and J.J., so they're going to get open looks. And they knocked them down."
Playing third fiddle to fellow Duke seniors J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams doesn't bother Sean Dockery at all. He gets plenty of attention and respect where it matters most -- in his own locker room.
"If people overlook me -- oh, well," Dockery said. "My team and my coach, that's my family, and they know what I'm doing. That's a great feeling."
Helping No. 1 Duke stay unbeaten feels pretty good, too.
Dockery made a go-ahead 3-pointer and set up another an instant later by Lee Melchionni to help the Blue Devils beat No. 14 North Carolina State 81-68 on Wednesday night.
Redick had 28 points and 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.
"That's the best team we've played," Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "They know what they're doing and they do it well. It's a big win for us."
The Wolfpack (14-3, 3-2) were never too far away in a game that featured 16 lead changes and nine ties, the last at 65 following a free throw from NC 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 were never challenged again.
"Plays like that, we practice that a lot," Dockery said. "Coach always talks about plays that take the life out of the other team. And that play right there, that's what it did."
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.
And his effort came on a gimpy foot that nearly caused him to sit out the game.
"I didn't think Sean was going to be able to play," Krzyzewski said. "We were a little bit worried it might be real serious, but it wasn't. He played hurt, yet you wouldn't know it. I'm proud of him."
Duke closed this game with a 16-3 run. Earlier this month, the Wolfpack saw North Carolina score the final 13 points to win 82-69.
"I can't compare games," NC State coach Herb Sendek said. "I thought our team played great basketball. Our guys have nothing to be ashamed of. Our guys competed really hard and played really well. I want them to feel good about themselves."
Cedric Simmons had an incredible game for NC State, finishing with a career-high 28 points, nine rebounds, seven blocks and three steals. Grant scored 13 points, 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.
"We've got to learn how to finish," Simmons said. "It was kind of the same thing that happened at the Carolina game. But I got some confidence and I learned that I can play with the best."
The Wolfpack were 2-for-11 from beyond the arc after hitting 42 3-pointers over the previous four games.
"We knew we had to shut them down at some point," Redick said. "We really wanted to take them out of their comfort zone."
Williams, while overshadowed a bit by Simmons, added nine rebounds, three blocks and five steals for Duke, barely missing his third consecutive double-double while moving past Mike Gminski to become the school's top shot blocker.
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 who came through in the clutch. He finished with 10 points and had five assists against no turnovers in a gritty 32 minutes. Fellow senior Melchionni, who got the starting nod in place of freshman Josh McRoberts, had 12 points, all on 3-pointers.
"Sean and Lee, they both played like veterans," Krzyzewski said. "We're going to need that. You have players like Shelden and J.J., so they're going to get open looks. And they knocked them down."