KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mason Plumlee sensed his team was struggling.
Midway through the second half, No. 1 Duke led Marquette by only two. The Blue Devils had just squandered a 12-point lead, and the upset-minded crowd in the Sprint Center was clearly behind the Golden Eagles.
But in a play that exemplified Plumlee’s best game ever as a Blue Devil, the sophomore forward rebounded an errant Andre Dawkins 3 on Duke’s next possession, made a single power dribble and sunk a shot in the paint despite heavy contact from his defender.
It was this common scene that rescued the Blue Devils (4-0) from a feisty Marquette squad Monday night, as Duke used Plumlee’s second consecutive double-double to power to an 82-77 victory.
“Mason obviously was outstanding,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “We got him the ball and he made some great moves down there, just simply great moves.”
But Plumlee’s career day, which included 25 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks and three assists, masked an uncharacteristically sloppy performance by Duke’s perimeter. After wowing the nation through his first three games, freshman Kyrie Irving struggled with five turnovers, while his partner in the backcourt Nolan Smith had six of his own.
These turnovers prevented the Blue Devils from running away from the Golden Eagles (4-1) during a first half in which they shot 55 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc. Turnovers also spurred Marquette’s early second half run, when the Golden Eagles were tied with Duke with just under 12 minutes to go.
Led by Jimmy Butler’s 22 points and the team’s seven second-half offensive rebounds, Marquette was down by just three with 11:51 to go. Irving proceeded to turn the ball over on a double-dribble when faced with pressure from a Golden Eagle trap, and an offensive rebound on the subsequent Marquette possession led to a 1-and-1 for Darius Johnson-Odom. Tie game.
“I thought we played well in spurts,” Plumlee said. “[But] we had too many turnovers at times.”
Perhaps due to those turnovers, the Blue Devils made a conspicuous effort to feed Plumlee the ball in the post as the game wound down. But it was Duke’s seniors—Smith and Kyle Singler—who were able to calm Duke down and take over the game at its most crucial moments.
Smith finished the game with 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting, while Singler scored 14 of his own despite another off night. The seniors’ true impact showed, however, in the way they helped their younger teammates face the team’s first true adversity of the season.
After Smith was called for an offensive foul midway during the second half, he and fellow captain Singler called the team together at halfcourt for an impromptu conference. The Blue Devils immediately responded. Duke forced a Golden Eagle turnover, then Irving made a layup.
Marquette, in contrast, seemed to fold under increased expectations once it tied the defending national champions.
“We were trying to hit home runs, and we did not even have our eye on the ball,” Marquette head coach Buzz Williams said. “It is just due to immaturity.”
Marquette’s smaller size forced Duke to adjust throughout the game, as starting forward Ryan Kelly played only 12 minutes in the game while reserve guards Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry both played more than 18. Despite the size difference, though, Marquette still matched Duke’s rebound total in the second half with 19.
“They are not big but they’re strong,” Krzyzewski said.
Another strong player, Plumlee, put the exclamation point on the Duke victory. In a fitting moment, the sophomore finished Marquette off with two minutes to go after he made a layup and followed it with a block on the defensive end of the court.
For this one night, at least, it was Duke’s post that rescued its perimeter.
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