{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Duke 93, NC-Wilmington 85
When: 12:15 PM ET, Thursday, March 17, 2016
Where: Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, Rhode Island
Officials: # Tony Chiazza, # Ed Corbett, # David Hall, # Lamont Simpson
Attendance: N/A

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Grayson Allen, Brandon Ingram, and Marshall Plumlee combined for 66 points as No. 4 seed Duke brushed off a sluggish start to beat No. 13 seed UNC-Wilmington 93-85 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at the Dunkin Donuts Center.

Allen tallied 23 points on 4 of 12 shooting, going 15 of 17 at the free-throw line. Plumlee totaled a career-best 23 points to go with eight rebounds while Ingram had 20 points and nine boards for the Blue Devils (24-10).

Duke meets the winner of Thursday afternoon's West region matchup between No. 5 seed Baylor and No. 12 seed Yale in the tournament's second round on Saturday.

Craig Ponder scored 22 points, Chris Flemmings had 18 and Denzel Ingram chipped in 17 for UNC-Wilmington (25-8), which finished one victory shy of its highest single-season win total in program history.

The Blue Devils trailed by seven in the first half before entering halftime down 43-40.

Duke displayed a renewed energy to start the final half, and a pair of Plumlee free throws capped a 16-3 surge to start the second that put the Blue Devils in control for good.

Denzel Ingram's 3-pointer with 1:24 remaining brought UNC-Wilmington within 90-85, and the Seahawks had a chance to do further damage but missed two 3-pointers and a layup on one possession in the last minute.

Allen and Brandon Ingram scored nine of the Blue Devils' first 19 points as they built a five-point cushion midway through the opening half, but the lead quickly evaporated.

Neither team led by more than three for nearly a seven-minute span before Plumlee's dunk brought Duke within 31-30 with 3:31 to play before the break.

Denzel Ingram's 3-pointer capped a 10-4 run that put the Seahawks up 41-34 with 55 seconds left in the period, but Duke's Luke Kennard and Brandon Ingram sank consecutive 3-pointers that closed the gap to three at the half.

Duke was 1 of 8 from 3-point range before Kennard's and Brandon Ingram's back-to-back treys and shot 43.8 percent through 20 minutes.

Flemmings was 6 of 9 for 13 points in the first half, sparking UNC-Wilmington to 51.5 percent shooting from the floor. Brandon Ingram's 11 first-half points led the Blue Devils.

NOTES: Duke, making its 40th NCAA Tournament appearance and 21st in a row, improved to 106-34 all-time in March. ... The Blue Devils boast the best winning percentage in NCAA Tournament history (.757) and rank third all-time in wins. ... Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has won an NCAA Tournament-record 89 games, 41 of which have come since 2000. ... UNC-Wilmington fell to 1-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Seahawks' only win in the Big Dance was a 93-89 overtime upset of No. 5 seed Southern California on March 14, 2002. ... The Seahawks lost their only other meeting with the Blue Devils, a 67-57 setback on Feb. 8, 1982.
Top Game Performances
 
NC-Wilmington   Duke
Craig Ponder 22 Scoring Grayson Allen 23
Craig Ponder 4 Assists Grayson Allen 5
C.J. Bryce 8 Rebounds Grayson Allen 10
C.J. Bryce 4 Free Throws Made Grayson Allen 15
Chris Flemmings 2 Steals Luke Kennard 2
Devontae Cacok 1 Blocks Marshall Plumlee 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
NC-Wilmington 85 44.1 11-26 14-19 10 29 3 5 9
Duke 93 53.7 4-15 31-43 11 40 8 4 10