Halftime: VCU 39, Duke 38

NEW YORK—The Blue Devils may have been excited to get back to the court after a loss to Kentucky, but it was the Rams who showed the most hustle in the first half. Thanks to a flurry of transition points and a big outing from senior Melvin Johnson, Virginia Commonwealth takes a 39-38 lead heading into intermission at the 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Questions swirled around Duke's young backcourt coming into the game, after Brandon Ingram, Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard shot a combined 3-of-22 against Kentucky Tuesday night in the Champions Classic. But early Friday, it was the underclassmen who stepped up.

Freshman Derryck Thornton, making his first career start, recorded a steal on the first possession and knocked home a jump-shot a few minutes later. Allen came in as Duke's first sub off the bench mark, and immediately made an impact.

Down 8-4, Allen spotted up for an open trey and knocked down his first shot of the game. Amile Jefferson then blocked a shot, and Allen drove hard to the basket—something he has struggled with—and knocked down both free throws. The Jacksonville, Fla., native also converted a nifty 3-point play and knocked down another triple just before halftime to narrow the Ram lead to one.

A 9-0 Virgina Commonwealth run put the Rams in control thanks to Johnson, who came out firing from beyond the arc. Johnson poured in 12 points, including a pair of triples, and got help in the paint from Mo Alie-Cox, who added seven points and two rebounds.

Down 22-15, Duke went on a 16-6 run to take a 31-28 lead. Allen played a key role in the streak, thanks to strong shooting and help on the glass from his teammates. Duke has five offensive rebounds so far. But Johnson and the Rams responded again down the stretch to head to the locker room with the slim lead.

Here are some observations from the first half:

• Donning their new, slick, black jerseys with a blue trim, the Blue Devils debuted a new lineup Friday night with Thornton taking Allen's spot in the starting lineup.
• Matt Jones' jersey still reads "M. Jones"—the first initial was removed from his home jersey earlier in the year.
• Allen sidestepped Brooks on the transition and finished with a physical and-1 with 5:03 left int he first half. Allen and Thornton have combined for 22 of Duke's 38 points.