Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Put Scare into Top-Ranked Duke
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
November 27, 1998
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - It was a good thing Duke had such an easy time in its opening game in the Great Alaska Shootout. It needed all of the energy it could muster in its second game.
Trajan Langdon, playing in his hometown, scored 26 points as the top-ranked Blue Devils beat Fresno State 93-82 on Friday night.
Duke (5-0) advanced to Saturday night's championship game against No. 15 Cincinnati, which beat Iowa State 60-52.
Elton Brand contributed 21 points and 21 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who shot 61 percent from the floor in the second half while breaking open a game that was tied at the half.
Early in the second half Duke went on a 15-4 run that started with a 3-pointer by Langdon. The Blue Devils then took advantage of its superior size to go inside for five baskets, while on defense they denied the Bulldogs good scoring chances.
"(The guards) were getting us the ball in an easy place to score," Brand said.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said his team had its hands plenty full with Fresno State's uptempo game.
"We played against a team every bit as athletic as we are," Krzyzewski said. "Not as big, but just as athletic."
Bulldog coach Jerry Tarkanian said his players went to school against Duke, which scored 27 of its 36 baskets in the paint.
"They were the best team in the country last year, and this year and they're even better," he said. "I told (Krzyzewski) afterwards it's just a privilege to play against them."
The Bulldogs never relented even as Duke started putting some distance between them. A pair of drives by Chris Herren and two short jumpers by Courtney Alexander pulled Fresno State within six, 63-57, with 11:27 left in the game. But Duke then went on a 16-8 tear to seal the victory.
Herren led all scorers with 29, 17 of them in the second half. Alexander had 19 and Mevin Ely 18 for Fresno State, which will play Iowa State for third place on Sunday.
Chris Burgess added 15 points and 16 rebounds for the Blue Devils and Chris Carrawell scored 14.
A 15-4 burst by Duke early in the second half opened up what had been a back-and-forth game.
With Fresno State ahead 46-45, Langdon connected on a 3-pointer. The Blue Devils then went inside time after time to its big men, while at the other end, the Bulldogs couldn't find the range.
Fresno State shot only 44 percent for the game, and were outrebounded by 53-30. The Bulldogs did force 15 Duke turnovers.
Alexander opened the scoring with a jump shot, but Langdon came back with a drive followed by a 3-pointer to put Duke ahead 5-2.
The Bulldogs got out to their biggest lead of the half at 23-19 on a basket by Herren before three straight by Carrawell gave the Blue Devils the lead that they built to five points.
Fresno State scored the last six points of the half to even the score at 38 at the break.
By T.A. BADGER
Associated Press Writer
