HOUSTON — With a booming crowd of 47,492 ready to blow the roof off Reliant Stadium, Baylor kept looking for that last great push to make the Final Four a reality.

Making a bid at history, the Bears never found that final gear.

Baylor University fans show their appreciation for players Quincy Acy (4), Tweety Carter (45) and the rest of the men’s basketball team after the team’s 78-71 loss to top-seeded Duke in Sunday’s South Regional final at Reliant Stadium.
Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald

In a rugged, defensive-oriented Elite Eight game, No. 1 seed Duke made all the key plays in the final minutes to pull off a 78-71 win Sunday to end Baylor’s historic season in the South Regional.

While the Blue Devils hugged and chest-bumped each other, the Baylor players solemnly trudged off the court. Baylor senior guard Tweety Carter couldn’t get through the school song without crying, and Ekpe Udoh left with a devastated expression on his face.

Trying to reach their first Final Four since 1950, the No. 3 seed Bears hated to see their great ride end one game short.

“It’s been a great season,” said LaceDarius Dunn, who led Baylor with 22 points. “We didn’t want this to be our ending point, but things happen. But we pulled together and did some things that outsiders didn’t think we could do. Like I told my teammates, it’s not over for this program.”

As in Friday’s 72-49 thrashing of Saint Mary’s, the large crowd was packed with Baylor fans who had come to witness the big moment. While Baylor’s game against the Gaels was decided by halftime, Sunday’s game was a tooth-and-nail struggle that was decided on a few key plays in the closing minutes that sent Duke to its first Final Four since 2004.

“There were a couple of key plays and Duke made them,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “Duke has multiple weapons, and you can’t stop everybody. Someone’s going to rise up, and today it was Jon Scheyer. They got big offensive rebounds and some big 3s.”

The Blue Devils (33-5) buried 11 of 23 treys and dominated the offensive boards, 17-12, in the second half. The Bears limited Kyle Singler to five points and no field goals in 10 attempts, but Nolan Smith hit four of six treys and scored a game-high 29 points while Scheyer hit five of 10 treys and scored 20.

Ekpe Udoh led Baylor with 18 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots.
Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald

“Throughout the second half, I sensed my team was getting better,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “Both teams played really well and hard, but I think our offensive rebounding was the key to getting separation in the last four minutes.”

The Bears (28-8) have closed games strong all season, and it looked like it might happen again when Quincy Acy broke loose for a slam dunk for a 59-57 lead with 5:08 remaining.

On Duke’s next possession, Udoh blocked Brian Zoubek’s shot. Acy came back on the offensive end for another basket, but it was nullified when he was called for charging Zoubek. Instead of a four-point lead with 4:37 remaining, the Bears had a two-point lead, and Zoubek was still in the game instead of getting his fifth foul.

“That was a big play because we could have had a four-point lead,” Acy said. “I had a wide-open lane, but he slid in front of me. I just didn’t get the call.”

Smith buried a trey to give the Blue Devils the lead, but Udoh answered with a spinning drive to give the Bears a 61-60 edge with 3:51 remaining.

Carter fouled Smith, who hit his first free throw to tie the game. Smith missed his second free throw, but Lance Thomas grabbed the offensive rebound. The Blue Devils got the ball to Smith, who buried the go-ahead 3-pointer for a 64-61 lead with 3:33 remaining.

After Anthony Jones and Udoh missed shots for Baylor, Scheyer buried a trey for the Blue Devils to open up a 67-61 lead with 2:38 remaining.

Baylor fans applaud the Bears as they walk off the court after the game.
Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald

“Coming into the game, I wasn’t going to worry or think about my shot,” Scheyer said. “I was just going to let it go if I was open. I just throw myself into the team, and naturally it goes in when you’re doing that.”

After Zoubek fouled out with 2:18 remaining, Udoh converted his first free throw. Udoh rebounded his second free throw, but Dunn missed a trey.

Thomas then grabbed another offensive rebound and scored while drawing a foul from Udoh. He hit the free throw to complete a three-point play to give the Blue Devils a 70-62 lead with 1:36 remaining.

In desperation mode, Carter’s pass was stolen by Smith. Acy was called for a technical, and Scheyer hit both free throws to stretch Duke’s lead to 72-62 with 1:19 remaining.

The Bears kept battling. Udoh scored two baskets in the closing minute as he finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots. Acy delivered another dunk, while Dunn buried a trey to cut Duke’s lead to 76-71 with 9.1 seconds remaining.

Duke’s Mason Plumlee puts up a shot against Baylor’s Ekpe Udoh in the second half Saturday at Reliant Stadium.
Jose Yau/Waco Tribune-Herald

Singler hit a pair of free throws to give the Blue Devils their final seven-point margin with eight seconds remaining.

A strong rebounding team all season, the Bears were disappointed in their effort on the boards. With the Bears holding Duke to 36.1 percent shooting, they would have had a better chance to win if they could have limited the Blue Devils’ offensive rebounding.

“I can’t really explain it, but Duke really went after it,” Udoh said. “We couldn’t keep them off the glass. It hurt us because they were getting kick-out 3s.”

Despite the season-ending loss, the Bears had a remarkable season as they set a school record for wins and raised the national profile of the program.

They just didn’t want to see it all end one step short of the Final Four.

“The toughest part of every season is always the thought that it’s the last time you’re going to get a chance to coach the team, and the last chance they’re together,” Drew said. “This has been a real close team that’s obviously done wonders for our program and the school. We had great chemistry, and that’s something coaches can’t deliver. We just had a great year.”

jwerner@wacotrib.com

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Baylor’s LaceDarius Dunn loses the ball between Duke’s (from left) Miles Plumlee, Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer.
Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald

Baylor coach Scott Drew grimaces after a foul call in the second half.
Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald

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