Duke reach Elite Eight as Caleb Foster sparks comeback win over St. John’s
Caleb Foster returned from a broken foot to score 11 crucial second-half points as top-seeded Duke rallied from a 10-point deficit in Washington to defeat St. John’s 80-75 and advance to the Elite Eight.
Playing less than three weeks after foot surgery, the resilient guard rescued his team’s national title hopes on Friday night.
Isaiah Evans led the scoring with 25 points, while Cameron Boozer added 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils.
The victory extends the nation’s longest active winning streak to 14 matches for the heavily fancied outfit.
Sloppy start threatens Duke’s campaign
Despite a relatively controlled first half, the tournament favourites emerged after the interval looking disjointed.
A series of turnovers allowed Zuby Ejiofor to capitalise with back-to-back dunks, propelling the tenacious Red Storm into a 48-44 lead.
When 6-foot-11 Ruben Prey sank his fourth consecutive three-pointer, the New York-based programme suddenly found themselves ahead by nine.
The deficit eventually stretched to 10 points before the Duke coaching staff turned to their recovering star.
Foster sparks dramatic late turnaround
Introduced in place of Cayden Boozer, the returning playmaker immediately settled the offence while his team shifted to a zone defence.
An acrobatic layup from Evans eventually tied the contest, initiating a frantic chase to the final buzzer.
With the game hanging in the balance, a crucial pull-up jumper from the recently injured guard put the Blue Devils ahead 75-69.
He then produced a driving layup in the closing stages to establish a five-point cushion and force their opponents into desperation mode.
Pitino suffers rare Sweet 16 heartbreak
The dramatic finish marks only the second defeat for legendary coach Rick Pitino in 14 career appearances at this stage of the competition.
It also brings a bitter end to an exceptional run for his squad, who had lost just once in their previous 22 fixtures.
A desperate late three-point attempt from Dylan Darling missed the target entirely, allowing Cameron Boozer to seal the result from the free-throw line.
The victorious side will now face either second-seeded UConn or third-seeded Michigan State in Sunday’s East Region final.
