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Hot-shooting Hood leads Duke past Georgia Tech

Jan 8, 2014 - 6:33 AM Durham, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Rodney Hood had a game-high 27 points to lead the 16th-ranked Duke Blue Devils over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 79-57, in an ACC showdown at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Hood made 5-of-7 shots from beyond the arc to lead five Duke (12-3, 1-1 ACC) players in double digits.

"They left me open," Hood said. "My teammates did a great job of getting into the lane ... and I just knocked down shots."

Quinn Cook contributed 13 points, while Jabari Parker and Rasheed Sulaimon had 12 and 11 points, respectively. Andre Dawkins added 10 points off the bench for the Blue Devils, who bounced back from a loss to Notre Dame on Saturday to earn their sixth win in their last seven games.

Marcus Georges-Hunt led the Yellow Jackets (9-6, 0-2) with 18 points. Daniel Miller supplied 14 points and eight rebounds as Georgia Tech lost its second straight game.

Sulaimon and Dawkins both dropped in triples during a 7-0 run to give the Blue Devils an early 9-4 lead close to five minutes into the contest.

Georgia Tech answered back with two shots from beyond courtesy of Chris Bolden and Jason Morris to even the score at 12 nearly seven minutes into the first half.

Morris flew threw the lane to throw down a thunderous one-handed slam to tie the game again at 20 with 7:51 remaining in the opening frame.

The two teams traded baskets and Duke took a 34-33 lead into the break.

Cook dropped a three in transition and Parker followed up his own miss with a tip-in as the Blue Devils converted on their second-chance opportunities during an early 9-2 run to start the second half.

Dawkins scored four points and Hood dropped back-to-back triples in a 12-2 run to put Duke up by 16, 66-50, with 6:33 remaining.

Dawkins dished a quick pass in the lane to Amile Jefferson who made the layup and a foul shot on a three-point play to put the Blue Devils back up 16, 71-55 with 4:24 to go.

Hood hit two consecutive triples once again in a 13-0 run to secure the victory for Duke.

"You have to give [Duke] a lot of credit because I thought in the second half they played with great intensity and great energy," Georgia Tech head coach Brian Gregory said.

Game Notes

Duke has won seven straight ACC home openers ... The Blue Devils made 22-of-25 free throws, while the Yellow Jackets were 0-for-6 ... Georgia Tech was without Robert Carter Jr., who is sidelined indefinitely with a torn meniscus in his left knee ... Georgia Tech was out-rebounded for the first time in 15 games ... Duke has won four straight and 30 of the last 33 games between the two programs.