Duke 89, Boston College 68 (final): Boston College guard Patrick Heckmann put on a late show for Eagle fans in the last two minutes, with a block, a steal, a rebound and seven points, but his efforts were less than futile in the face of Duke's late lead of nearly 30 points. The Cameron crowd finally got its wish to see Todd Zafirovski enter the game as Heckmann's last-minute barragecut the lead to 19. Freshmen Amile Jefferson and Rasheed Sulaimon each set career highs with 14 and 27 points, respectively, as Duke cruised to its 24th win.
Duke 86, Boston College 57 (3:22 second half): The free throws just kept coming as Boston College continued getting whistled inside against Duke's superior size and athleticism. The Blue Devils shot free throws on four of five possessions coming out of the eight-minute media timeout, converting seven of those eight shots. Despite a Mason Plumlee offensive foul that broke the free-throw shooting streak, Duke remained aggressive on offense. Rasheed Sulaimon finished a lay-up through contact after beating his man off the dribble, and Mason Plumlee followed just seconds later with a forceful alley-oop in transition to push the Duke lead back to 29.
Duke 75, Boston College 52 (7:27 second half): With the Blue Devils' lead showing no sign of shrinking, the intensity of the game has dropped, leading to more fouls and open shots for both sides. A little over halfway through the second period, Duke and Boston College have committed a total of 16 fouls and the Eagles shooting percentage has jumped almost 1o percentage points since halftime. Boston College's second leading scorer, Oliver Hanlan, is on the bench with four fouls.
Duke 67, Boston College 44 (10:52 second half): With a lead hovering at around 25 points, the Blue Devils have had just one or two starters on the floor for the last few minutes, allowing Alex Murphy and Marshall Plumlee to see significant action. The Blue Devils have spread around the scoring—five players are in double digits—but Rasheed Sulaimon leads the way with 20 points. With 10 points and 10 rebounds, Mason Plumlee already has his 16th double-double of the season.
Duke 60, Boston College 36 (14:42 second half): With all their starters back on the court, the Blue Devils picked up in the second half right where they left off in the first. Six of Duke's ten points came off of threes from Seth Curry and Rasheed Sulaimon, with another couple coming from a Mason Plumlee running right-handed hook shot in the post. Ryan Anderson continues to lead the way for the struggling Eagles with 13 points, including nine from beyond the arc.
Duke 51, Boston College 27 (halftime): After taking advantage of Boston College's mistakes on both sides of the floor, Duke heads into halftime with a commanding lead for the second game in a row. On offense, the Blue Devils have turned in three-point possessions both by drawing fouls with aggressive drives and hitting their mark from beyond the arc. Duke has converted five and-one opportunities and is 5-for-8 from outside the three point line. Boston College has committed 12 fouls and 13 turnovers as a team.
Duke 39, Boston College 18 (3:08 first half): The Blue Devils are heating up on offense. Heading into the final media timeout of the half, Duke is 13-of-24 from the field and 4-of-7 from the beyond the arc. Rasheed Sulaimon and Quinn Cook both hit from deep and Sulaimon added a jumper and then a floater from in the key. The Blue Devils have four players with eight or more points—Boston College does not have any.
Duke 24, Boston College 9 (7:51 first half): Duke is continuing to open up its lead over the Eagles by shutting them down on defense. Boston College has converted just three of its 12 field goal attempts and has more turnovers (10) than points (9). Ryan Anderson leads the Eagles with four points while Mason Plumlee continues to pace the Blue Devils with eight points and six rebounds.
Duke 17, Boston College 8 (10:41 first half): Strong half court defense and a full court press has helped Duke open up a nine point lead after a slow start. The Blue Devils have forced four Boston College turnovers and the Eagles have struggled to get an open shot on offense. Mason Plumlee leads the way with four rebounds and eight points, four of which have come from his seven free throw attempts. Duke is already in the bonus.
Duke 5, Boston College 5 (15:47 first half): A fairly sloppy start to the game from both teams, with a couple turnovers apiece and plenty of loose balls in general. Boston College has scored both of its field goals on second chance opportunities—once on an offensive rebound and once on a recovered loose ball. Mason Plumlee is shining early for Duke—he had a monster block on Ryan Anderson and then recorded his 1,000th career rebound.
Pregame: We’re live from Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., as No. 6 Duke is on the floor warming up in preparation for their 2 p.m. tipoff against the Boston College Eagles. Follow along here and on Twitter @dukebasketball for live updates throughout the game.
Boston College Starters: F Ryan Anderson, G Olivier Hanlan, C Dennis Clifford, G Joe Rahon, G Patrick Heckmann
Duke Starters: G Quinn Cook, G Seth Curry, G Rasheed Sulaimon, F Josh Hairston, F Mason Plumlee
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