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GREENSBORO — D'Andre Bell believed Duke was tiring Sunday, and Georgia Tech's pressuring defense was starting to slow the Blue Devils.

Yet, possession after possession, the Yellow Jackets guard watched their swarming defensive efforts end the same way. Despite limiting Duke to six second-half field goals, referees' whistles repeatedly sent the Blue Devils to the free-throw line, where they pulled away to a 65-61 ACC tournament championship game victory over Georgia Tech at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Duke scored 21 of its 36 second-half points at the free-throw line, where it attempted more shots (23) than it did from the field (22) in the closing half.

It may not have been the flashiest way to win a championship, but it was effective enough to frustrate the Jackets.

"There were some bad defensive plays on our end, but a lot of those calls, they were tough calls," Bell said. "It's not even an opinion, it's a fact: They're good at throwing their bodies and everything. But all those calls, they're pretty deceiving."

It may have been the only way the Blue Devils could pull out Sunday's win. After burying five of its first 11 shots during a 10-2 run to start the game, Duke only managed a 13-for-40 shooting performance (33 percent) for the final 35 minutes, and slipped to 6-of-22 (27 percent) in the second half.

And unlike Saturday's semifinal win over Miami, when Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer bailed out the Blue Devils' sputtering offense with big second halves, the pair of first-team All-ACC players combined to shoot 7-for-28 from the field Sunday.

So with their shots straying, Singler and Scheyer started attacking the Yellow Jackets' defense by driving, drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line, where they attempted 21 of Duke's 24 free throws in the second half.

"You really can't be passive in their defense and in their press," said Singler, who made a championship-game record 14 free throws. "We were at times, and it worked against us, so we needed to be more aggressive and attack what they were doing. So it gave us that edge."

And the edge was decisive: Duke was in the bonus for the remaining 9:39, and reached the double bonus a minute later. The resulting trips to the free-throw line took some of the bite out of the Yellow Jackets' defense and played a pivotal role in Duke's ability to hold off Georgia Tech's attempts at a comeback.

Duke made 14 of 15 free throws after reaching the bonus, 12 of which answered Georgia Tech scores, and went to the line on eight of its final 16 possessions.

"It was very frustrating," said Georgia Tech freshman Derrick Favors. "We played good defense, and the referees bailed them out."

Why Duke won

Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer once again pulled the Blue Devils through to victory, but this time they did it at the free-throw line. They combined to go 7-of-28 from the field, but made 20 of 24 free throws, all of which were crucial for a Blue Devils offense that made 35 percent of its shots.

Why Georgia Tech lost

The Yellow Jackets didn’t make enough consistent defensive stops to mount a rally. Duke answered Georgia Tech scores on 12 of its possessions in the second half, making 18 of 18 free throws, two 3-pointers and a fast-break dunk on those possessions to stifle the Yellow Jackets’ attempts at building momentum.

Play of the game

After Georgia Tech trimmed Duke’s lead to one, Scheyer cut up the right sideline to receive Nolan Smith’s pass from the top of the key, rotated to his right and made a 3-pointer that put Duke ahead 63-59 with 18 seconds remaining, essentially sealing the win.

The key player

Nolan Smith’s 16 points may not look exceptional in the box score, but the Blue Devils guard carried Duke in the moments when Singler and Scheyer were struggling with their shots. Smith’s 11 first-half points helped Duke build an early lead, and his 5-of-8 shooting performance in that half made Smith one of two Blue Devils to make more than half of their attempts in that half.

What they’re saying

“I told them after the game in the 30 years that I’ve been here, there aren’t many teams that have won the regular season and the tournament. When you do that, it is an accomplishment.” — Mike Krzyzewski, Duke coach

“There was some bad defensive plays on our end. But a lot of those calls, they were tough calls.” — D’Andre Bell, Georgia Tech guard on Duke’s free throws

Noting the game

Singler’s 14 made free throws set an ACC tournament championship game record, breaking Scheyer’s record of 13 set last year. ... Georgia Tech freshman Derrick Favors earned a spot on the all-tournament first team after scoring a game- and season-high 22 points. Favors also had 11 rebounds to record his 11th double-double of the season. ... Sunday’s game was the fifth time this season that Duke shot 35 percent from the field or worse and won. The other opponents: Connecticut (.284), Virginia Tech (.290), North Carolina (.319) and Tulsa (.349).

GEORGIA TECH (22-12) — Shumpert 4-9 2-3 12, Bell 2-3 0-0 4, Favors 8-14 6-7 22, Lawal 3-8 0-1 6, Rice Jr. 2-2 0-0 5, Udofia 0-0 0-0 0, M.Miller 3-7 2-2 10, Oliver 0-1 2-2 2, Peacock 0-6 0-1 0. Totals 22-50 12-16 61.

DUKE (29-5) — Smith 7-13 0-0 16, Singler 3-15 14-16 20, Scheyer 4-13 6-8 16, Thomas 0-1 0-0 0, Zoubek 0-0 2-2 2, Ma.Plumlee 1-2 0-0 2, Dawkins 3-5 0-0 7, Mi.Plumlee 0-2 2-2 2. Totals 18-51 24-28 65.

Georgia Tech 22 39 — 61
Duke 29 36 — 65

Percentages—Georgia Tech (FG .440, FT .750), Duke (FG .353, FT .857).

3-point goals—Georgia Tech 5-13 (M.Miller 2-4, Shumpert 2-6, Rice Jr. 1-1, Oliver 0-1, Bell 0-1), Duke 5-17 (Smith 2-4, Scheyer 2-9, Dawkins 1-2, Singler 0-2).

Fouled out—Oliver.

Rebounds—Georgia Tech 35 (Favors 11), Duke 31 (Zoubek 9).

Assists—Georgia Tech 13 (Shumpert 5), Duke 8 (Singler, Smith, Zoubek 2).

Blocked shots—Georgia Tech 4 (Favors 2), Duke 2 (Ma.Plumlee, Zoubek).

Turnovers—Georgia Tech 17 (Shumpert 4, Lawal 4), Duke 10 (Thomas 3, Smith 2, Singler 2).

Steals—Georgia Tech 3 (Bell, Rice Jr., Peacock), Duke 6 (Zoubek 2, Scheyer 2).

Total fouls—Georgia Tech 20, Duke 17.

A—23,381.

Officials—Mike Wood, Karl Hess, Ray Natili.