ATLANTA (AP) -- Tyler Thornton scored a career-high 13 points, Austin Rivers hustled for a clinching three-point play and No. 6 Duke survived an ugly performance against cold-shooting Virginia Tech, beating the Hokies 60-56 in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Friday night.
Seeking their fourth straight tournament title, the Blue Devils (27-5) advanced to the semifinals against either No. 17 Florida State or Miami.
But this was a struggle.
Duke didn't put away the 10th-seeded Hokies (16-17) until the closing seconds, even though Virginia Tech went more than 8 minutes without making a field goal in the second half.
Rivers scored 17 points and sealed it by outrunning two Hokies for a loose ball near midcourt. He drove to the basket, drew a foul and completed the three-point play with 15.1 seconds left.
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