Although Duke's three injured freshmen are all in uniform for the first time this season, they still have not seen the floor.
The Blue Devils have been rebounding just fine without them.
A 25-12 advantage on the boards has propelled Duke to a 46-30 lead at halftime against William & Mary, with the Blue Devils notching nine second-chance points. Duke's starting guards Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen, Frank Jackson and Matt Jones have taken care of the scoring, combining for 32 points and six 3-pointers.
The Tribe jumped out to an 11-6 lead behind two 3-pointers from Paul Rowley, but Duke soon caught fire from the perimeter and responded with a 15-2 run. Kennard started the run with a deep triple from the wing, and with 13:50 remaining in the half, Allen gave the Blue Devils the lead with a 3-pointer of his own.
Jackson contributed to the 3-point barrage a couple minutes later to put Duke up 19-13, and Kennard drew the defense in with a drive on Duke's next possession before dishing it to a wide-open Javin DeLaurier under the basket for a dunk.
But William & Mary has not gone down without a fight. The Tribe got five straight points from big man Jack Whitman to stay in it and also knocked down a couple more shots from the perimeter.
Jones knocked down a pair of triples late in the half to keep the Tribe at arm's length heading into the locker room, and Allen gave Duke a double-digit lead with another 3-pointer of his own.
Here are some observations from the first half:
- Duke committed just seven fouls in the half, but did not spread them out very evenly. Jackson, Jefferson and sophomore Chase Jeter were all whistled for two. Jefferson has been visibly frustrated with the officials multiple times after fights for rebounds.
- Injured freshmen Harry Giles and Marques Bolden both participated in the pregame layup line, but have not moved from the end of the bench next to fellow injured rookie Jayson Tatum and an injured Sean Obi.
- Allen has done most of his damage from the line, but his early-season struggles attacking the basket have continued. The junior guard is shooting just 2-for-7 so far in the half but leads Duke with 12 points.
- The Blue Devils have keyed in on William & Mary's best players. The Tribe's three players averaging double figures in scoring—Daniel Dixon, Omar Prewitt and Nathan Knight—have combined for just 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.