College Duke stays poised as they defeat Georgetown in 2K Empire Classic Duke overcame a slow start to defeat Georgetown in the championship of the 2K Empire Classic at The Garden. by Dushawn London November 23, 2019 The Duke Blue Devils won the 2K Empire Classic as they defeated Georgetown 81-73 in a fierce battle Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Georgetown set the tone early, jumping out to a 9-2 lead, shocking a pro-Blue Devil crowd. From that point on, the Blue Devils were able to rally and bring the game to 11-12 at the 13:20 mark. The Hoyas were able to go into the break tied as sophomore point guard James Akinjo knocked down a jumper to tie the game at 33. The game changed tides in the second half as the Blue Devils built a 14 point second-half lead. The Blue Devils second-half success had a lot to do with the resurgence of freshman guard Cassius Stanley and forward Wendell Moore. Stanley scored 20 of his 21 in the second half while Moore had 11 of his 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting. Although the Hoyas would have liked to come out with a win, they were able to come out with lessons that could help them move forward. Georgetown now has a win against an AP Top 25 team (Texas). They also stayed competitive in a hostile environment and very officiating calls. Along with their solid play, big man Omer Yurtseven submitted himself as one of the nation’s premier bigs as he finished with 21 points and five rebounds against the nation’s #1 team. Duke big man Vernon Carey earned the 2K Empire Classic MVP award averaging 25.5 points and 11.5 rebounds. With Friday night’s win, Mike Krzyzewski passed legendary coach John Wooden by winning his 218th game as the top team in the Associated Press Poll. Game Notes: 2K Empire Classic MVP: Vernon Carey 2K Empire Classic All-Tournament team: James Akinjo (Georgetown), Omer Yurtseven,(Georgetown) Wendell Moore (Duke), Cassius Stanley (Duke), Vernon Carey (Duke) Post Views: 776 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Dushawn London Latest posts by Dushawn London (see all) Rutgers falls short of Michigan despite late game surge - February 2, 2020 St. John’s get their first win of the New Year as they defeat Depaul 74-67 - January 12, 2020 The Scarlet Knights win their 6th straight game as they thrash Marshall 66-41 - December 16, 2019 No. 18 Auburn dominates Richmond to win Legends Classic at Barclays Center - November 28, 2019 Related Topics2K Empire ClassicCassius StanleyDuke Blue DevilsGeorgetownJames AkinjoMike KrzyzewskiOmer YurtsevenVernon CareyWendell Moore Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Women in Sports: Podcast Host, New York Riptide Sideline Reporter, Dani Wexelman by Luke Porco | posted on March 3, 2020 From Paramus High School to CBS Sports, Spero Dedes is making waves in sports broadcasting by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 27, 2020 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 More in College You Know I’m Right, Episode 107: New York Post’s Columnist Mike Vaccaro (Audio/Video) On the 107th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Master P’s Son, Hercy, Commits to Tennessee State Master P’s son, Hercy Miller, is committing to Tennessee State to play basketball. While... EA Sports Plans to Revive College Football Video Game EA Sports announced that they plan on making college football video games again. The... UVM Women’s Basketball Team Quits 2020-2021 Season The University of Vermont (UVM) women’s basketball will be ending their 2020-2021 season early... Zach Cooks career-high 35 points not enough as NJIT falls to Binghamton 77-75 Zach Cooks scores 1,000th career point