Through 20 minutes of play, Duke solidly controlled the game in its pivotal rematch against Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils lead 43-32 going into the locker room.
Watch the long ball
The Hokies made a living from the 3-point line in the Blue Devils’ Jan. 23 matchup at Virginia Tech, connecting on a plethora of first-half shots to establish a solid lead. Senior Hunter Cattoor drained five on the game but was swiftly contained once Duke forward Mark Mitchell was in front of him. This time around, it was freshman Tyrese Proctor who marked No. 0 in orange and held him to just one shot attempt in the first half. Fellow backcourt sharpshooter Sean Pedulla scored the Hokies’ first points but was stuffed and finished the half with five of his own on 22.2% shooting.
Rebound advantage
The 17th-best rebounding team in the nation used the boards as a catalyst for a quick start — the Blue Devils’ 22-13 lead on the glass led to six second-chance points and several fast-break scores. Each of the Duke starters were active on the glass in the first several minutes of play, and the Blue Devils’ hot shooting from the field helped minimize similar opportunities for the visitors.
Big lead? No problems
The Blue Devils got off to one of their hottest starts this season by storming out to a 19-5 run before Virginia Tech again found the bottom of the hoop. Duke’s scoring efficiency paired with careful control of the ball helped it control the pace of play and force the ACC’s 12th-place team to work from behind. A quick 6-0 run from the Hokies with 10:38 to play silenced the crowd when Rodney Rice took to the free-throw line to finish a four-point play, but his miss spurred another dominant stretch of Blue Devil basketball.
Finding Filipowski
Freshman center and Duke leading scorer Kyle Filipowski did not feature in the first half after picking up two fouls in the game’s first 10 minutes. He sat on the bench for over five minutes before re-entering for the closing minutes of the frame for a total of nine minutes while only attempting three shots. His lone basket came on a fast-break dunk during the Blue Devils’ 19-5 run to start, but his teammates picked him up with their stellar all-around performance as Duke looks to keep its perfect home record.
Player of the half: Tyrese Proctor
Freshmen again led the way in terms of scoring, notching 29 of Duke’s 43 first-half points, and 7-foot-1 center Dereck Lively II was again disruptive at the rim. But none were more impactful than Proctor, who scored seven points on 3-for-6 shooting to go along with three rebounds and three assists. The Sydney native also shot 1-for-4 from deep after entering Saturday shooting over 40% in his last 10 games. His work on the defensive side was the most notable, containing Cattoor and even ripping the ball free for a fast-break bucket to put Duke ahead by 11 with 8:17 to play.
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Micah Hurewitz is a Trinity senior and was previously a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume.