Seth Curry had a big second half and No. 3 Duke held off upstart Georgia Tech to win 81-74 in the ACC opener for both teams.

Austin Rivers’ steal and layup gave visiting Duke a 70-66 lead with just under two minutes left as the freshman atoned for missing two free throws moments earlier. Ryan Kelly helped seal the win at the foul line, making all 14 of his free throws en route to a career-high 21 points. Curry finished with 15 points and three steals.

The Blue Devils (13-2, 1-0 ACC) bounced back from a loss to Temple and improved to 20-2 following a loss in the last five seasons.

Tech (7-8, 0-1) dropped its fourth straight despite outstanding performances from Glen Rice Jr. (28 points, 8 rebounds) and Mfon Udofia (19 points, 4 assists). Perhaps tiring, each missed two free throws down the stretch.

The Jackets ended the first half on a 21-8 run, highlighted by Jason Morris’ one-handed alley-oop slam, and trailed just 40-35.