DUKE 22, ARIZONA STATE 22, Halftime
Duke closed the half on a high note when Scheyer hit a 3-pointer a few seconds before the buzzer, but the Blue Devils nonetheless had a subpar first half.
But fortunately for the Blue Devils, despite playing as poorly as they have in any single half of the season, they still will enter the second half up against the Sun Devils. In the second half Duke will have to stop turning the ball over and must find its shooting touch.
DUKE 22, ARIZONA STATE 22, 6:05 left in the first half
Andre Dawkins has been a lift off of Duke's bench again so far this game. He hit the Blue Devils' first 3-pointer on the night and then drew a foul two possessions later to get to the line.
Ryan Kelly is currently Duke's only big man on the court and is (trying) to guard Eric Boateng. The big man's post moves are too much to handle. I really don't get this one; isn't Kelly a perimeter player?
Up on the JumboTron a Duke student got shown wearing her "Duke Debate" T-shirt. Come on Blue Devil fans, you're making us look nerdy.
DUKE 15, ARIZONA STATE 18, 8:52 left in the first half
Duke hasn't done a good enough job taking care of the ball so far this half. The Blue Devils have five turnovers and—to make things even worse—have missed all five 3-pointers they have attempted.
Eric Boateng looks a lot more polished than he ever did at Duke. Of course, it's been four years since he suited up for the Blue Devils and was more of a raw talent.
DUKE 7, ARIZONA STATE 15, 13:43 left in the first half
Duke has fell behind a bit early. Ryan Kelly entered the game as a pair. Last game, against Radford, head coach Mike Krzyzewski put the pair into the game early as a pair as well and presumably likes the way they play together.
Andre Dawkins came in a few minutes later to replace Zoubek. The freshman guard had 20 points in his last game and was impressive from long range.
Remember also that Nolan Smith dedicated tonight's game to longtime Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin. Here's a part of a post I put up earlier today:
1. Nolan Smith has personally dedicated tonight’s game to Abe Pollin, the longtime Washington Wizards owner who died at 85 yesterday. A few of the guard’s thoughts from his Twitter account (@ndotsmitty):
- “RIP Mr. Pollin!! ýou will be missed by many!”
- “Abe pollin was a great man!! I first met him when my dad was with the washington bullets! He was amazing then, and he has always been that!”
- “Tommorows game at Madison Square Garden will be dedicated to #ABEPOLLIN by myself!”
DUKE 7, ARIZONA STATE 10, 15:23 left in the first half
Miles Plumlee already has a block on former Blue Devil Eric Boateng, and almost had another but the referees ruled it goaltending. His vertical leap is obviously improved his season.
The Sun Devils have had no trouble scoring so far this game, but Duke has kept it close with early success of their own on the offensive end.
DUKE 6, ARIZONA STATE 5, 16:56 left in the first half
Duke won the tip, but it's first two possessions were a bit sloppy. Nolan Smith missed on the 3-pointer and then on the next possession turned the ball over on a charging foul. Junior Rihards Kuksiks hit the first basket on the night before Smith answered on the other end.
Miles Plumlee has been active early and nailed the free throw for a three point play after getting fouled on his first shot attempt. The New York crowd has been audibly demonstrating its support for the Blue Devils.
PREGAME
We're all set to go here at Madison Square Garden. Starting for the Blue Devils are Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, Lance Thomas and Miles Plumlee. Duke is (4-0) so far this season and is looking to advance to the finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off to face Connecticut.
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