After trailing by as much eight in the first half, the Blue Devils raised their level of play in the second half to come away with a 103-81 victory in their non-conference finale. The team's offense once again stole the show as Duke (11-2) topped 100 points for the second consecutive game. The 15th-ranked Blue Devils will look to continue their solid play on both sides of the ball in their conference opener Saturday against Boston College.
Revisiting the three keys to the game
- Jump ahead early: Duke certainly did not make good on this key as the team fell behind for much of the first half and faced a serious challenge from the 49ers. A big reason for this was poor shooting from beyond the arc as the Blue Devils shot just 3-of-12 from deep against their opponent's zone defense. Although the slow start did not come back to haunt the team, it was alarming that Duke could struggle so mightily if perimeter shots didn't fall. Considering that freshman Chase Jeter only played nine minutes in a contest that many thought would be decided by halftime, it appears the Blue Devils missed a chance to get more experience for their young players before the start of ACC play.
- Keep the offense rolling: The final five minutes of the first half along with a strong second half was much more indicative of the type of offensive rhythm the Blue Devils played with Monday against Elon. Duke went on a 25-6 run between the halves and shot a scorching 66 percent from the field in the second half. The Blue Devils also did a solid job moving the ball as they assisted on 18 of 32 field goals in the victory. Duke continued to spread the wealth as four players finished in double-figures along with nine points from guard Luke Kennard and eight points from center Marshall Plumlee.
- Let the defense fuel the offense: Perhaps no key was bigger for the Blue Devils Wednesday as the team converted 18 turnovers into 24 points. With its offense struggling to get going, Duke was able to capitalize on easy baskets following takeaways to stay close and eventually pull away with a game-changing run. Although the team struggled to rebound once again without the services of senior Amile Jefferson, capitalizing on turnovers is one of the big ways the team can win games in his absence.
Three key stats
- Blue Devils pile up 61 points in the second half: After struggling to get going in the first half, Duke blitzed Long Beach State with its second half of more than 60 points in the last two games. The Blue Devils connected on 8-of-15 attempts from beyond the arc and began to find openings in a 49ers defense that confused them for parts of the first half.
- Duke out-rebounded 42-31: The Blue Devils continue to struggle without Jefferson and will need to find an answer fast with conference play approaching. Duke allowed 16 offensive rebounds to a smaller 49ers squad that led to 18 second-chance points and helped Long Beach State stay in the game. Outside of Plumlee, no Blue Devil collected more than five rebounds on the afternoon.
- Jeter and Sean Obi combine for only 10 minutes of action: Although many expected Jeter to get additional playing time with Jefferson's absence, the freshman has yet to make the impact many expected. It remains to be seen what role both Jeter and Obi will have going forward, but it currently appears that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski is playing a six-man rotation.
Three key plays
- 5:35 remaining, first half: With the Blue Devils off to a slow start at home, guard Noah Blackwell knocked down a 3-pointer giving Long Beach State an eight-point lead—its biggest of the contest. From that point, Duke would slowly find its footing an go on a run to retake the lead before the half.
- 18:16 remaining, second half: After the Blue Devils scored the first five points of overtime and stretched their lead to as many as 11, Allen received a pass in the corner of the court and drove along the baseline for a slam. The dunk was indicative of what was to come for the guard as he attacked the basket more aggressively in the second half.
- 11:33 remaining, second half: Plumlee brought the Crazies to their feets when he turned a pass from Allen into a behind-the-head dunk that pushed the team's lead to 15. With the crowd chanting his name, Plumlee turned back a shot from Roschon Prince just seconds later and helped fuel a big second-half for the Blue Devils.
And the Duke game ball goes to....Grayson Allen
The team's leading scorer stepped up on a night when the Blue Devils weren't shooting as well as they are accustomed to. Allen scored a career-high 33 points—24 of which came in the second half—and got back to showing the explosiveness he showcased in back-to-back games against Georgetown and VCU. Allen's aggressiveness attacking the basket didn't directly translate to points, but the guard connected on 15-of-17 attempts from the foul line. If the sophomore can sustain his level of play, he figures to stay in the conversation for ACC Player of the Year all season.
And the Long Beach State game ball goes to ....A.J. Spencer
Despite entering the game averaging single-digit points per game, the guard stepped up on the biggest stage for his team. Spencer shot 9-of-14 from the floor and racked up a team-high 20 points as the 49ers challenged Duke for a half. Although the senior only knocked down two triples, Spencer was able to score in a variety of ways and also came away with three steals. With the Beach sporting just a 6-9 record on the season, getting the senior going against a big opponent could be just what was needed to turn the tide before conference play begins.
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