Following the 13-day finals week hiatus, Duke defeated the Runnin’ Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb 85-66 Monday night. Led by Jabari Parker’s 21 points, the Blue Devils had four players score more than 15 points en route to their 108th consecutive non-conference home victory.
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
- Shake off the rust early: While the Blue Devils hit their first three shots of the game and got off to a hot start offensively, they struggled defensively in the opening minutes. Duke did not pull ahead to a comfortable lead until midway through the first half.
- Win the rebounding battle: Duke had one of its best performances on the glass of the season, winning the rebounding battle 37-21. Amile Jefferson led the Blue Devils with 10 boards, five of which came on offensive glass.
- Limit Hibbert and Harper: Guard Naji Hibbert and forward Donta Harper finished the game with 12 and 13 points, respectively, but were kept in check by Duke’s defense and never got into the offensive rhythm that they might have hoped to.
Three key plays:
- 19:44, first half: After a Jabari Parker steal began Duke’s first offensive possession of the game, Quinn Cook threw the ball over Gardner-Webb’s zone to a cutting Rodney Hood for a tone-setting alley-oop dunk.
- 14:01, first half: Rodney Hood missed a 3-point field goal, Marshall Plumlee came up with the offensive board and kicked to Quinn Cook, who converted on his 3-point attempt to pull ahead 17-14.
- 12:30, second half: Jabari Parker fought for inside position, caught an Andre Dawkins’ pass in mid-air with his back to the basket, and in one motion, pulled off the 180-alley-oop dunk.
Three key stats:
- 26 minutes played: Rodney Hood and Jabari Parker each played only 26 minutes tonight, far below their season averages, as Coach K used all 11 of his scholarship players.
- Five players with four or more rebounds: Duke had success on the glass today with five players recording four or more boards. Amile Jefferson, Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood, Tyler Thornton and Quinn Cook all contributed in a collective effort on the glass.
- Five minutes played: After spending the entire game on the bench against Michigan, Rasheed Sulaimon played five minutes in tonight’s victory. The sophomore appeared hesitant at times, missing both of his attempted shots.
And the Duke game ball goes to… Andre Dawkins
The first guard off the bench, Dawkins hit his first four shots of the night before finishing with a season-high 18 points. The redshirt senior was not shy shooting the ball, making 6-of-10 field goal attempts and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc in 22 minutes.
And the Gardner-Webb game ball goes to… Jerome Hill
Playing in foul trouble for much of the game, forward Jerome Hill displayed his physicality and efficiency in scoring a career-high 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting and collecting nine rebounds. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound sophomore had his way much of the night, often taking advantage of the smaller players guarding him.
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