The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

DUKE’S senior’s garner much of the media attention, but it was sophomore point guard Quinn Cook who made nearly every key play down the stretch to lead the Blue Devils to the 2012 Battle 4 Atlantis Championship.

Cook was named tournament MVP and finished with 14 points, six assists and four rebounds as No. 5 Duke held off the No. 2 Louisville Cardinals 76-71 to close out the three-day tournament in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island Saturday night.

Cook scored 11 of his 15 points in the final 7:46, including the Blue Devils’ last eight points of the game. His runner just before the shot clock expired put the game away for Duke with a five point lead, 72-67, with 27 seconds left to play.

He also made 4-4 from the line in the game’s waning moments and finished a perfect 6-6 on the night.

“My team gives me a lot of confidence and that just means the world to me. I just wanted to stay aggressive,” Cook said. “To know that I have three seniors that trust me with the ball and that trust me to get them the ball is a big thing for me. I could score zero points and as long as my teammates are happy and we come away with a win, I’m good with that.”

Duke’s senior leaders had big nights as well.

Mason Plumlee finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, Seth Curry added 14 and Ryan Kelly finished with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

Freshman Raseed Sulaimon finished with 14 points, 11 in the first half.

Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzeski said the development of Cook early in the season has been the catalyst to Duke’s immediate success.

“You have to look like a winner before you become a winner. When you’re the point guard, you’re the lead of our defense and the lead of our offense. If that position is not strong, it weakens you. Quinn has been really strong for us,” Krzyzeski said. “Since the Georgia State game, Quinn has earned the respect of everyone, with what he did in the Kentucky game as well. When a team has confidence in its point guard, you can take off. He gets the ball to people, he can shoot and at the end he can shoot free throws.”

The Cardinals were without reigning Big East leader in blocks and one of college basketball’s most feared defenders, Gorgui Dieng, who was forced to sit-out with a wrist injury.

Louisville’s backcourt combined with 36 points, but forwards Wayne Blackshear and Chane Behannan finished just 3-13 with nine points.

Peyton Siva scored a game high 19 points with six steals and four assists, while Russ Smith added 17.

With Dieng out, the Cardinals received a major lift from their bigs off the bench.

Montrzl Hareell added 10 points and five rebounds while Kevin Van Treese posted a near double double with eight points and eight rebounds.

“I told our guys tonight, ‘I’m really proud of you. You’re a top 10 team in every measure of the word. We have great heart and great potential. I’m excited for the future of this basketball team. I haven’t always said that, but I’m excited,” Said Louisville head coach Rick Pitino: “The good thing is, we played a great team tonight, without our best big man to the wire, we could have won. We’re going to get our big guy back, so we’re going to get a lot better. There’s great upside.”

Curry’s buzzer beating three pointer just before the half gave the Blue Devils a 36-28 lead.

It took the Cards nearly 10 minutes to fight there way back into the game before Smith’s jumper tied it at 56 with 10:13 left to play.

Louisville took their first lead of the second half when Siva’s three pointer gave them a 59-58 lead, but it lasted just a single possession as Cook answered with a three for Duke.

Tied at 61 with 4:30 left to play, Curry made a go-ahead three pointer to give Duke the lead for good.

Louisville shot just 2-6 from the free throw line in the last three minutes, and 64 per cent for the game (9-14), while the Blue Devils shot 85 per cent (23-27).

Duke (6-0) is scheduled to face No. 3 Ohio State on November 28 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, while Louisville (5-1) faces Illinois State on December 1.

Game Notes: A B4A record 3,511 fans attended the title game...It was the highest ranked matchup of the NCAA season thus far with the No.2 and No. 5 teams facing off...The Cardinals also played in the Bahamas in August 2011 during the BBF Summer of Thunder...Duke has played two of the top 10 ranked teams early in the season, but without regular starters - matched up against Kentucky without Ryan Harrow and now Louisville without Dieng...Quinn’s mom, Janet Cook said she was married in the Bahamas 25 years ago, adding his MVP performance to another special memory made in the country...The win was the 23rd straight in a regular-season tournament for the Blue Devils, a streak that dates to the championship of the 2006 CBE Classic.