Halftime: Duke 54, Marist 28

Even without three projected NBA lottery picks on the court for their regular-season opener, the No. 1 Blue Devils wasted no time breaking Friday's game open.

Duke opened up a 54-28 halftime lead against Marist Friday at Cameron Indoor Stadium after two quick shots from beyond the arc by Matt Jones and Luke Kennard sparked a 12-0 run to start the game. Jones, Kennard and All-American Grayson Allen powered the Blue Devil offense from the perimter, finishing with 34 points in the period and all six of the team's 3-pointers.

After a slow start, Allen sent the crowd into a frenzy with a highlight-reel block followed up with a corner 3-pointer late in the period. The junior finished the half with 16 points despite shooting 3-of-10 from the field.

Duke’s backcourt was not the only driving force in the early going, as forwards Chase Jeter and Amile Jefferson put in strong performances near the basket. Jeter managed to avoid foul trouble to put together a perfect shooting performance for seven points to go along with five boards and a block. Jefferson chipped in four points and six boards of his own, making plays on both ends of the floor.

The Blue Devil defense pressured Marist early on, holding the Red Foxes to 25.0 percent shooting and forcing seven turnovers.

Here are some observations from the first half:

• It took Allen almost 15 minutes to make a field goal, but the preseason favorite for National Player of the Year got to the line at will, finishing with nine free-throw attempts in the first half. 
• Underclassmen Javin DeLaurier, Jack White and Antonio Vrankovic all saw minutes in the first half with star frontcourt freshmen Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles and Marques Bolden sidelined by injuries. Tatum was originally expected to play in Friday's game.
• Jones made his first three 3-pointers of the season before finally missing late in the first half. The senior co-captain's outside shooting will be a factor to watch all season. 
• A Marist player committed a flagrant foul on Jefferson with 32 seconds left in the half by tripping him after the Duke graduate student blocked a shot. Jefferson was upset about the call but went on to make 1-of-2 free throws and finish the half.
• Duke went 14-of-21 from the free throw line, leaving a few points at the charity stripe.