NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT / EAST REGIONAL AT ATLANTA : Singleton Loses Debate, St. John’s Loses Game : Duke: Redmen forward talks harshly, gets called for a technical foul that sends the Blue Devils winging into the final 16.

A few angry words from Billy Singleton helped propel Duke into the East Regional semifinals Sunday.

The St. John’s forward was called for a technical foul with 8:49 left at the Omni in a second-round game, sending third-seeded Duke on its way to a 76-72 victory over the sixth-seeded Redmen and a date with UCLA in the Eastern Regionals Thursday in East Rutherford, N.J.

What did he say?

“You’d have to go to confession for that,” Coach Lou Carnesecca of St. John’s told reporters.

Whatever it was, it sent Duke’s Robert Brickey to the foul line with the Blue Devils trailing, 61-53, and St. John’s pulling away.

After Brickey made four consecutive free throws--two for a personal foul against Chuck Sproling and two more for the technical foul against Singleton--Alaa Abdelnaby scored on a follow shot, and Duke had cut its deficit to 61-59 by scoring six points in 14 seconds.

Carnesecca refused to complain about the call.

“Give Duke credit for making the (free throws),” he said.

And for later erasing a seven-point deficit by outscoring the Redmen, 15-4, in the last 6 1/2 minutes.

Brickey, who led the Blue Devils with 22 points and nine rebounds, scored the game-winning basket with 32 seconds left, jumping for an air ball by Abdelnaby and laying the ball into the basket.

St. John’s (24-10) had a chance to pull even, but guard Boo Harvey, whose last-second shots had won three games Redmen and sent another Redmen victory into overtime, misfired on an 18-foot jump shot from the left wing with about 10 seconds left.

Bobby Hurley chased down the rebound for Duke (26-8), and Brickey, fouled with nine seconds left, made two free throws to provide the final points.

“We missed some big shots and they made some big shots,” Carnesecca said. “If you want to cut up the cadaver, that’s it.”

Forward Malik Sealy led St. John’s with 19 points. Harvey had 17 points, nine assists and five steals, but made only four of 18 shots against the defense of Hurley, the Blue Devils’ freshman point guard.

“Hurley was magnificent,” Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski said of the Blue Devils’ floor leader, who had 10 points and seven assists.

Abdelnaby scored 17 points and guard Phil Henderson scored 13 for Duke.