It wasn't always pretty.

But No. 9 Duke avoided a second straight loss Tuesday while sending No. 18 Michigan State to 1-2 start with a 74-65 win at the Champions Classic. Duke built an 11-point halftime lead then fought back multiple Michigan State runs as freshman Caleb Foster announced his presence with a breakout game on a national stage.

With the win, Duke bounced back from a home loss to then-No. 12 Arizona Friday for a win over a top 25 team to improve to 2-1. In a game that featured as many turnovers as points (five) at the first TV timeout, the Blue Devils found their rhythm before halftime to take a 31-20 lead into the break. The Spartans, meanwhile, remained mired in the shooting woes plagued them through a 1-1 start while shooting 2 of 13 from 3-point distance in the first.

But they didn't fold after halftime. The Spartans maintained their pressure defense in the halfcourt to cut the Blue Devils' advantage to 35-31 in the first four minutes of the second half. When Duke built the lead back to double digits, Michigan State punched back again with an 8-0 run capped by a Tyson Walker 3-pointer to cut Duke's lead to 51-48 with 8:31 remaining.

But Duke responded every time Michigan State challenged while leaning on Foster and All-America hopeful Kyle Filipowski.

A 6-5 guard, Foster shot 7 of 8 from the field including 4 of 5 from 3-point distance to lead the Blue Devils with 18 points. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 3:04 to extend Duke's lead to 68-56 and slam the door on any hope of a late Michigan State rally.

"Coming off the bench is something I'm not used to," Foster told ESPN after the game. "But just coming in, being ready to take shots I need to take."

Filipowski added 15 points and eight rebounds as Duke's most reliable weapon in the post against a Michigan State defense that repeatedly contested shots in the paint and closed off passing lanes.