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National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Duke 63, Utah 57
When: 9:45 PM ET, Friday, March 27, 2015
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Officials: # DJ Cartensen, # Don Daily, # Mark Whitehead
Attendance: 21168

Duke 63, Utah 57: Justise Winslow registered 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Blue Devils topped the Utes in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 action from Houston.

Fellow freshman Tyus Jones pitched in 15 points as top-seeded Duke (32-4) improved to 15-1 in its last 16 games and advanced to Sunday's South Regional final against No. 2 seed Gonzaga. Standout freshman Jahlil Okafor only attempted six shots, did not get to the foul line until the final two minutes and finished with six points, eight rebounds, two blocks and four turnovers.

Brandon Taylor scored 15 points to pace fifth-seeded Utah (26-9), which posted poor shooting performances from the field (35 percent) and the arc (4-of-16) in addition to committing 15 turnovers. Dallin Bachynski added 11 points off the bench - all in the first half - while freshman Jakob Poeltl had 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Utah never led over the final 32 1/2 minutes, but a 9-0 run brought the Utes within 49-43 on Poeltl's layup with just over four minutes left. Winslow promptly answered with a three-point play and Jones went 7-of-8 from the foul line down the stretch to hold off Utah, which never got closer than five in the final minute.

Utes star Delon Wright picked up his third foul with 4:57 left in the first half and Duke quickly unleashed an 8-0 run before Utah recovered with its do-it-all guard on the bench to get within 27-22 at the break. Winslow made back-to-back 3-pointers to push the Blue Devils' lead to 41-32 roughly 7 1/2 minutes into the second half and Quinn Cook's two free throws extended the cushion to 49-34 with 8:44 to play.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Wright, a finalist for the Wooden Award, shot 4-of-13 and finished with 10 points, six rebounds and three steals for Utah, which has not reached the Elite Eight since advancing to the national championship game in 1998. ... Winslow, who shot 8-of-13 from the field and 3-of-4 from long range, has three double-doubles in his last four games. ... Cook added 11 points but saw his school-record streak of 45 straight games with a 3-pointer come to an end.
Top Game Performances
 
Utah   Duke
Brandon Taylor 15 Scoring Justise Winslow 21
Jordan Loveridge 2 Assists Tyus Jones 3
Jakob Poeltl 8 Rebounds Justise Winslow 10
Dallin Bachynski 5 Free Throws Made Tyus Jones 9
Brandon Taylor 3 Steals Matt Jones 2
Jakob Poeltl 3 Blocks Jahlil Okafor 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Utah 57 35.0 4-16 11-15 8 32 4 8 15
Duke 63 44.4 3-9 20-26 5 30 4 6 14