Banchero, No. 2 Duke beat Virginia Tech 76-65 in ACC opener
Virginia Tech Duke Basketball Virginia Tech's Darius Maddox (13) battles Duke's Theo John, left, and Duke's Joey Baker, right, for a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown) (Ben McKeown)DURHAM, N.C. — (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 23 points and second-ranked Duke shot 62% after halftime to beat Virginia Tech 76-65 on Wednesday night in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener. Banchero scored 17 points in that dominant second half, fueled by the move to a smaller lineup around the versatile 6-foot-10 star freshman. That helped Duke (11-1, 1-0 ACC) erase an eight-point deficit early in the second half while slowing Keve Aluma after his big first-half performance. Virginia Tech, which joined the ACC for the 2004-05 season, has still won only once (January 2007) at the Blue Devils' famously hostile Cameron Indoor Stadium.
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