The wait is finally over.
Nearly eight months after a deflating exit from the NCAA tournament, No. 2 Duke returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium in style with a 92-54 victory against Dartmouth in its first regular-season contest Monday night. Sophomore center Kyle Filipowski led the way with 25 points and seven rebounds, while guard Tyrese Proctor contributed eight points and eight assists.
"It was great to get that first one under our belt," said head coach Jon Scheyer. "There's a lot to clean up [but] great collective effort."
After a turbulent first half, Duke came out of the locker room ready to send Dartmouth packing with Filipowski leading the way. The Westtown, N.Y., native slammed home two dunks in the opening minutes of the second half. Senior guard Jeremy Roach quickly got in on the party, putting away a layup of his own to put the Blue Devils up 54-30.
From there, the offense tapped into its firepower to put the game away. Sophomore center Christian Reeves got his first points of the contest with a dunk off a lob from Proctor before the Sydney native drained yet another three with ease. Roach was also heating up down the stretch, putting away one of his signature midrange jumpers before converting a layup to extend Duke’s lead.
It was Filipowski, however, who got the last laugh. With eight-and-half-minutes left to go, Proctor put up a beautiful pass, and the 7-foot center was ready as ever. Slamming the ball down for yet another dunk, the Wilbraham and Monson product earned a deafening roar from the Blue Devil faithful.
"He's such a force. No matter where he plays, no matter who he's on the court with, teams will always have a decision to make with him," said Scheyer.
Duke’s “Freshmen Four” — Jared McCain, Caleb Foster, Sean Stewart and TJ Power — also got to see the court together for the first time in the season opener, combining for 29 points on the night. The jubilee was short-lived, however, as McCain fouled out with just over six minutes left to play after getting in early foul trouble.
"They're excited, they're talented...and the freshmen came in with a lot of energy," said junior guard Jaylen Blakes.
On top of their offensive performance, the Blue Devils (1-0) put together a defensive clinic against the Big Green. Tallying six steals, six blocks and 28 defensive rebounds, Duke made sure Dartmouth (0-1) never got too close to its lead.
In contrast to the Blue Devils’ fiery first-half performance against UNC Pembroke, the team looked shaky to start off their regular-season opener. Scoring only seven points through the first five minutes of the contest, Duke’s nerves seemingly spoiled most offensive possessions. Coupled with the scoring woes was early foul trouble for the Blue Devils, with Proctor subbing out of the game less than seven minutes in after accumulating two quick fouls.
Duke, however, would not be denied for long. Filipowski got the sparks flying after coming up with a big block against Dartmouth standout Dusan Neskovic. Graduate center Ryan Young collected the rebound before passing the ball off to McCain. The Sacramento, Calif., native did not flinch on the fast break, draining the 3-point jumper to put the Blue Devils up 7-2.
"I felt like I was able to play aggressive and be myself out there," said McCain.
The Big Green, for their part, kept the contest close through a majority of the first half, doing just enough to keep themselves in the game. Then the expected happened – Duke showed up to play.
Going on a 24-7 run through the last seven-and-a-half minutes of play, the Blue Devils exploded offensively. Kicked off by a Filipowski dunk that caused the Cameron Crazies to erupt, Duke started to find its groove. Freshman guard Caleb Foster drained a three before Proctor got in on the party, putting away his first shot from beyond the arc since nailing five against UNC Pembroke.
To officially put Dartmouth away before going into the halftime locker room, the Blue Devils earned back-to-back and-ones off Roach and Filipowski. Followed by a steal and layup from sophomore Jaylen Blakes, Duke created a substantial 42-21 lead after 20 minutes of play.
"What [Jaylen] did was huge for us," said Scheyer. "[He] has built such a trust level with me [and knowing] what he's going to do, the energy he brings."
Duke will look to capitalize on its momentum from Dartmouth as it takes on No. 12 Arizona at Cameron Indoor Friday at 7 p.m. in its first test against a top-25 opponent.
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Mackenzie Sheehy is a Trinity junior and associate editor for The Chronicle's 120th volume.