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 Loual Deng, is already a star in the US.
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Chris Duhon, left, and Luol Deng celebrate Duke's 66-63 win over Xavier
Devils Find What Works
Duke Fights Off Xavier to Reach Final Four for the 14th Time: Duke 66, Xavier 63
By Camille Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 29, 2004; Page D01
ATLANTA, March 28 -- Luol Deng leapt in the arms of one of his Duke teammates in the minutes following the Blue Devils' 66-63 victory over Xavier in the Atlanta Region final in front of 24,711 at the Georgia Dome.
The 18-year-old freshman had on a new white hat and a new white T-shirt celebrating Duke's 14th trip to the Final Four, and a broad smile across his face -- the face of Duke's latest tournament hero.
Deng scored 15 of his game-high 19 points in a dominating second-half performance for the Blue Devils (31-5), who will play Connecticut, the Phoenix Region champion, in San Antonio on Saturday. Deng, who also had seven rebounds and three assists, was named the region's most outstanding player, becoming the first Duke freshman to earn the honor.
"I just found out about it, but it is an unbelievable feeling," Deng said. "I just played as hard as I could, but I give all the credit to my teammates, because they played great and we win as a team."
Inside the Duke locker room, "one of the great things that happened in this game happened at halftime," Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski said. Deng became very emotional as he spoke to his older teammates, urging them to "play outside ourselves."
"For a kid -- a freshman -- to do that, it had a tremendous impact on our team," Krzyzewski said. "In my time as a coach, whenever I've seen a kid do that, whether it be Dawkins or Hill or Hurley or Laettner or Langdon or Battier, they usually end up doing something really exceptional in that half or in that game. I think that's what happened . . . We needed that type of response in order to beat this team today. We needed something extraordinary."
Early in the second half, Deng led the Blue Devils on a 9-3 run that turned a five-point deficit into a 39-38 lead. In that stretch, he hit a jumper just inside the foul line, made a three-pointer from the left side and scored on a flying dunk off of a nice pass from Duhon.
Xavier responded by scoring four straight points to regain the lead, 42-39.
Then the 6-8 Deng showed his versatility by grabbing a defensive rebound and dribbling the length of the floor, weaving through defenders and finishing with a finger roll.
With about five minutes left in the game, Deng took an inbounds pass and found himself wide open on the right side; he set his feet and sank a three-pointer to tie the score at 56. Three minutes later, he battled for an offensive rebound and passed it out to Redick, who made a three-pointer to give Duke a 59-56 lead. Deng then made a brilliant tap-in off of a Duhon miss to give the Blue Devils a 61-56 advantage with 1:52 to play.
"He made some big plays for us, but he has played well all year long and throughout the tournament," said Duhon, who has been playing despite bruised ribs since the ACC championship game. "The tip-in basket that he had was one of the greatest plays that we have had all year, and he did a great job."
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Date |
| Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Deng | 03-29-04, 10:50 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | zumrawi | 03-29-04, 11:07 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Deng | 03-29-04, 11:11 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | مراويد | 03-29-04, 11:13 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | مراويد | 03-29-04, 11:25 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Deng | 03-30-04, 02:15 AM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Muhib | 03-30-04, 02:17 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Deng | 03-31-04, 02:42 AM |
 Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Raja | 03-31-04, 03:05 AM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Deng | 03-31-04, 03:11 AM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | omdurmani | 03-31-04, 06:58 AM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | aymen | 03-31-04, 10:49 AM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | ابو جهينة | 03-31-04, 12:28 PM |
 Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | ترهاقا | 03-31-04, 12:51 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | أبوالزفت | 03-31-04, 02:27 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Deng | 03-31-04, 11:37 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | اسامة الخاتم | 04-01-04, 00:21 AM |
 Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Raja | 04-01-04, 05:18 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | خالد عويس | 04-01-04, 05:31 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Raja | 04-02-04, 05:02 AM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Raja | 04-02-04, 10:37 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Deng | 04-03-04, 06:25 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Deng | 04-03-04, 11:11 PM |
| Re: Loual Deng, is already a star in the US. | Deng | 04-03-04, 11:18 PM |
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