— Caleb Foster returned to Duke’s lineup after fracturing his right foot on March 7 and produced a crucial second-half surge as No. 1 Duke rallied to defeat No. 5 St. John’s 80-75 in the East Regional semifinal in Washington, D.C. Foster scored 11 points in the second half, helping erase a 10-point halftime deficit and preserve Duke’s 35-2 season. The Blue Devils will advance to face the winner of Michigan State vs. UConn on Sunday. The game swung on late baskets and a cooling St. John’s perimeter attack in the second half.
Key Takeaways
- Final score: Duke 80, St. John’s 75; Duke improves to 35-2 for the season.
- Caleb Foster, who fractured his right foot on March 7 and missed five games, scored 11 points in the second half after seven scoreless minutes in the first.
- Isaiah Evans led Duke with a game-high 25 points; Cameron Boozer posted 22 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.
- St. John’s hit 9-of-18 (50%) from three in the first half but cooled to 4-of-14 (28.6%) in the second.
- St. John’s held a 55-45 lead five minutes into the second half before Duke’s comeback run reversed the game flow.
Background
Caleb Foster suffered a right-foot fracture in Duke’s regular-season finale against North Carolina on March 7 and was expected to be sidelined for several weeks; team reports listed him out for multiple games. The injury removed an experienced starting point guard from Duke’s backcourt during the closing stretch of the regular season and into the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament, forcing coach Jon Scheyer’s rotation to adapt.
Duke entered the East Regional semifinal as the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed with a 35-2 record, facing a St. John’s team that had relied heavily on perimeter shooting to reach the Sweet 16. St. John’s came in as the No. 5 seed and leaned on high-volume 3-point attempts, a strategy that produced early dividends but proved inconsistent when shots stopped falling in the second half.
Main Event
The game’s tempo shifted after halftime. St. John’s extended its lead to 55-45 five minutes into the second half, buoyed by an efficient first-half 3-point attack. Duke, trailing by double digits, responded with a mix of interior scoring and late-pressure defense that began to disrupt St. John’s rhythm.
Foster, whose return had been considered unlikely until deep in the tournament, logged seven scoreless minutes off the bench in the first half before converting 5-of-7 field-goal attempts in the second. Two of his baskets in the final 2:14 were pivotal as Duke protected a narrow lead in the closing moments.
Isaiah Evans paced Duke with 25 points overall, while Cameron Boozer contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds, anchoring the interior presence that allowed Duke to overcome St. John’s perimeter barrage. St. John’s finished with a higher first-half 3-point percentage but could not sustain it after intermission.
Analysis & Implications
Foster’s return altered Duke’s backcourt dynamics and provided a late-game playmaking and scoring option that had been absent. His 11 second-half points compressed Duke’s substitution pattern and allowed Scheyer to stagger minutes for other perimeter pieces, improving both offensive spacing and ball security in clutch situations.
For St. John’s, the game underscored the volatility of a heavy reliance on 3-point shooting. The Red Storm’s first-half conversion rate masked underlying variability: when their long-range shots slowed in the second half (4-of-14), they produced fewer second-chance and transition opportunities, enabling Duke to apply pressure inside and on the glass.
The result keeps Duke’s championship path intact but raises questions about workload and injury management. Reintroducing a player less than three weeks after a fracture carries medical and competitive trade-offs; if Duke advances, its medical team and coaching staff will face difficult decisions on minutes and precautionary measures in the days ahead.
Comparison & Data
| Team / Half | 3-Point Makes | 3-Point Attempts |
|---|---|---|
| St. John’s — First Half | 9 | 18 |
| St. John’s — Second Half | 4 | 14 |
The numbers show a clear swing in perimeter efficiency for St. John’s between halves. Duke’s comeback coincided with improved interior offense and clutch scoring from returning guard Caleb Foster, reversing a 10-point halftime deficit into a five-point victory.
Reactions & Quotes
Foster’s appearance and scoring burst were described in coverage as a decisive turning point for Duke late in the game.
WRAL (local news)
Cameron Boozer’s 22 points and 10 rebounds were highlighted as a stabilizing double-double that complemented backcourt scoring.
Game statistics / WRAL
Unconfirmed
- Whether Foster’s return definitively “saved” Duke’s season is an attributional judgment rather than a verifiable fact and remains a matter of interpretation.
- Specific internal medical clearance details and exact minutes-management plans for upcoming games were not released by Duke’s medical staff at the time of reporting.
Bottom Line
Duke’s 80-75 victory over St. John’s advanced the No. 1 seed into the East Regional final and underscored the immediate impact of Caleb Foster’s return less than three weeks after a March 7 foot fracture. While the win preserves Duke’s deep-tournament aspirations, it also introduces questions about managing a recently injured starter through the pressure of consecutive high-stakes matchups.
St. John’s performance illustrated the strengths and limits of a perimeter-first strategy: exceptional first-half shooting can produce leads, but fluctuations in long-range efficiency can quickly reverse fortunes against a balanced opponent. As Duke prepares for the next opponent — the victor of Michigan State vs. UConn — minutes, medical reports and rotation choices will shape the team’s realistic path forward.