Okafor Leads No. 4 Duke Past No. 19 Spartans 81-71
MICHAEL MAROT, AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Quinn Cook scored 19 points and Jahlil Okafor had 17 to lead No. 4 Duke past No. 19 Michigan State 81-71 in Tuesday's State Farm Champions Classic.
The Blue Devils (3-0) have won each game this season by double digits.
Michigan State was led by Brendan Dawson with 18 points and Travis Trice with 15. But the Spartans (1-1) couldn't get enough stops and struggled to contain Okafor, the nation's top freshman who didn't disappoint in one of the premier early-season showcases.
Okafor finished 8 of 10 from the field and had five rebounds.
After the Spartans closed to 51-48 with 12:19 to go and Okafor picked up his fourth foul three minutes later, it was Okafor's teammates who picked up their games.
Tyus Jones scored all of the points in a 6-0 run to push the lead to 64-51 and the Spartans never got close again.
(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)