The Tigers led for much of the game but came up two points short in the end, losing to No.9 Duke 71-69 at Cameron. No one likes moral victories, but this was a very encouraging effort by the Tigers in the toughest place to play in America! I said after the last game that I'd like to see Hall shoot the ball more than the 5 he had against Pitt, and Brownell must have hear me because he shot 21 times tonight! Unfortunately, he only made 6 rather than his usual high percentage. Just one more make, and the Tigers might have won! By the way, the Tigers shot just one free throw in the entire game! I don't know if I've ever seen that before. That came on a 3-point play by Hemenway on a fast break layup, and he missed the free throw. Duke, on the other hand, shot 13 free throws! Of course, that's typical of the ACC refs every time the Tigers play Duke at Cameron. They always give Duke at least 4 points.
They put Dawes in for the last play of the game with 2 seconds left, and Brownell told me that he was fine physically. They just felt good with the lineup they had in with Honor and Hunter. Dawes left with 14:30 remaining and did not return until that final play. Even though the Tigers didn't come up with their 3rd straight win over a top-10 team, it was a very respectable performance, and the Tigers are in okay shape at 3-6 in the middle of the ACC. Of course, they should be 4-5 with a win over BC, but they are still in good shape to make the NCAA Tourney if they can keep up this level of play. They have a week off before a big home game against FSU, which is a good thing for Hall to heal up his foot, but let's hope the break doesn't cool them off like the last break did. The following week, they have two home games in three days against Duke and UNC. They need to win at least one of those, preferably Duke, to give them a signature win for their NCAA resume.
Post-game interview with Brownell is below!
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