No. 2 Duke edges FSU in overtime

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- J.J. Redick realized he was part of

something special while the game was still going on. From 26 ties

and 17 lead changes to amazing individual performances to an extra

5 minutes, this had a little bit of everything.

To the surprise of no one, No. 2 Duke came out on top.

"It's always exciting to play in a game like that," Redick

said of the Blue Devils' 97-96 victory over Florida State on

Saturday. "It's even more exciting to come away with a win."

He and teammate Shelden Williams had a lot to do with that.

Redick made a go-ahead 3-pointer and scored eight of his 36

points in overtime, while Williams added 27 points and 13 rebounds

for Duke.

It was the 11th double-double of the season for Williams,

including five in the past six games. He also made two clinching

free throws in the final seconds for the Blue Devils (21-1, 9-0

Atlantic Coast Conference).

"They were a very hungry team," Williams said. "A team like

that, playing like that -- I hope they play like that for the rest

of the season."

Todd Galloway made a running 3 just before the final buzzer for

the Seminoles (13-6, 4-5). They led 91-89 with about 2 minutes

remaining in overtime following a jumper by Al Thornton, two of his

37 points that tied a career high.

Redick scored in the lane to tie it, and after Isaiah Swann

missed on the other end, Duke gave the ball to Redick. His effort

from beyond the arc in the corner swished through to make it 94-91,

and he later made one of two free throws to increase the margin to

four.

Galloway scored on a drive to make it a two-point game, and

Williams clanged two free throws off the rim to give Florida State

a chance. But Galloway's drive to the basket was thwarted by

Williams, and despite replays that clearly showed the ball going

out of bounds off Williams, the Blue Devils were given possession.

It was the second consecutive game that Williams stopped a drive

in the final seconds. He did the same in a two-point victory over

Boston College (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 15 AP) earlier in the week.

"I was squared up with him and he kind of jumped with me,"

Galloway said. "I thought he got my elbow, then I thought the ball

went off him."

No such luck for Florida State. This time, Williams made both at

the line when he was fouled, and the victory was finally secure.

Jason Rich had 20 points and Thornton added 15 rebounds for the

Seminoles, who fell to 0-15 in road games against Duke. Their five

ACC losses have been by a total of 17 points.

"To play this hard and this well and still not win, that's

tough to take," Thornton said. "We'll try to learn from this and

get better."

There was a lot to see, including an attentive Alex Rodriguez

sitting near the Blue Devils bench in a white Duke T-shirt. The New

York Yankees third baseman clearly enjoyed his first visit to

Cameron Indoor Stadium, laughing at the antics of the Crazies and

rooting for the home team.

There were two intentional fouls called on Florida State center

Alexander Johnson, and the second led to double technicals on him

and Williams. That was Johnson's fifth personal, sending him to the

bench for the final 9 minutes of regulation.

Referee Ed Corbett left the floor about 3 minutes later with a

sprained knee, leaving Ray Natili and Mike Eades by themselves. And

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called a timeout in the first half

simply to yell at his players, hoping to motivate them after a

sluggish start.

"His message was basically that we weren't playing hard and we

weren't being tough," Redick said. "We didn't do a lot of things

well. We didn't rebound too well, we didn't take care of the ball

well, but we did enough things well to win the game."

Krzyzewski's ploy worked, but the Seminoles kept up. Thornton,

who scored 10 of their first 12 points, completed the opening 20

minutes with a layup to give him 19 at the break. It gave his team

a 45-43 lead, only the third time this season the Blue Devils

trailed at halftime at home.

"I am proud of our guys to win against a team that played so

well and so hard," Krzyzewski said. "Just to find a way to win is

noteworthy. You can break down X's and O's and all that. They had

more energy than us."

Florida State led by four points in the second half, and Duke

moved ahead by five for its largest lead.

"This team is way past moral victories," Galloway said. "If

we can replicate this effort, it's going to be tough for teams to

beat us."