Duke climbs back from 23 down, stuns Louisville on eve of Coach K's 72nd birthday - Fox News

Duke center Marques Bolden (20) and Louisville forward Jordan Nwora (33) vie for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019. (Associated Press)

Coach K probably couldn't have wished for a better birthday gift Tuesday night.

Trailing by 23 points against Louisville with about 10 minutes to play, coach Mike Krzyzewski's Duke Blue Devils mounted one of their biggest comebacks ever.

Cam Reddish hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with 1:28 left and then converted go-ahead free throws with 14 seconds remaining, helping No. 2 Duke beat the No. 16 Lousiville 71-69.

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"Give Duke great credit. Their kids never quit," Louisville coach Chris Mack said. "They battled, they turned us over what seemed like a thousand times in the last four or five minutes. I'm stunned."

The key may have been when Krzyzewski -- who turns 72 on Wednesday -- told his players they would win even when they were far behind.

"I think our mentality changed," Reddish said. "We didn't want to go home with a loss. We had to fight for Duke, just give it our all for the name on our chest."

Duke (22-2, 10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) then made nine of 13 shots and shut down the Cardinals over the final 9:54. Zion Williamson (27 points, 12 rebounds) made eight of nine free throws and added two three-pointers down the stretch.

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It was the second-biggest second-half comeback in Duke history.

Reddish scored 22 and RJ Barrett added 13 for Duke, which won its eighth in a row despite shooting a season-low 37 percent from the field.

Jordan Nwora had 23 points and Dwayne Sutton 15 for Louisville, which dropped its second straight. The Cardinals shot 42 percent, but just 9 of 24 in the second half.

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