Sometimes, the basket feels like it has a lid on it. Other times, it feels a mile wide.
The second was true for freshman Isaiah Evans Wednesday night, as his six first-half triples paved the way for No. 9 Duke’s 84-78 win at home against the second-ranked Auburn Tigers. Graduate guard Sion James — who made his debut in the starting lineup — chipped in nine crucial points, and freshman Cooper Flagg recorded a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
"It was a big time college basketball game," head coach Jon Scheyer said. "We felt like coming in Auburn is as good as anybody, and I think they showed that tonight their shot making, their physicality, their depth. But I really thought that our guys were tough as could be."
Evans made a splash that felt like a tsunami off the bench, rising without hesitation for a downpour of six triples in the first half. The Fayetteville, N.C., native has seen limited playing time in big games this season, but took advantage of his early opportunity Wednesday. It started with a deep ball in traffic off a screen, then Evans made true on two wide-open chances to bring Duke within one. Amid the offensive barrage, the 6-foot-6 wing also secured an impressive rebound, fighting for the ball down low and keeping his foot inbounds to find an outlet.
"Since I signed with Duke, [I've] always dreamed about being in a high-intense game like that and delivering for my team," Evans said. "That was just the most important part to me."
The Blue Devils held on to the first-half lead Evans helped build as the game’s final minutes approached. Auburn couldn’t get one to fall when it needed to, and freshman Kon Knueppel drove for a right-handed layup to put Duke up seven with just under a minute remaining.
The Tigers stopped the bleeding with a layup of their own, but all the Blue Devils needed to do to secure the win was make their free throws. And while they finished the night just 17-for-27 from the charity stripe, they made them when they counted.
Junior guard Tyrese Proctor, who has been Duke’s most consistent 3-point shooter to this point in the season, made his biggest shot of the year with 4:30 remaining in the game. After Flagg had his shot blocked by Chad Baker-Mazara, Proctor caught the loose-ball grenade and heaved it from near midcourt to beat the shot clock. When the triple found the bottom of the net, it elicited a deafening crowd pop and gave the Blue Devils a 73-68 cushion.
Proctor came away with another individual effort minutes later, spinning in the paint and rising above two defenders for a fadeaway bucket. The Tigers stayed close by getting to the free-throw line, setting up a five-point margin in the final three minutes of the game.
After a timeout from head coach Bruce Pearl with just under 10 minutes remaining, Auburn’s freshman Tahaad Pettiford was left too open for his fourth 3-pointer of the night. Not to be overshadowed, Duke’s own freshman phenom in Flagg went right at Pettiford for an and-one on the ensuing Blue Devils possession, converting the free throw to give his team a 66-59 lead.
Flagg and Pettiford continued to trade buckets, but the latter missed a go-ahead triple with just over six minutes remaining. Duke could not capitalize on an opportunity at the line, though, as a Maliq Brown miss on the front end of a one-and-one brought the Blue Devils’ tally at the charity stripe to a dismal 10-for-19.
Coming out of an explosive first half, James rocketed through the air early in the second for a ridiculous dunk through severe contact. The foul on Dylan Cardwell was so hard that the 6-foot-11 center was assessed with a flagrant-1. James’ free throw stretched the Duke lead to 48-38, and Khaman Maluach slammed home one of his own on the bonus possession.
Auburn turned to its All-American in Johni Broome to respond, as the big man worked down low to keep his team within striking distance. Maluach, Flagg and Brown did well to limit his effectiveness, since the 6-foot-10 forward ended the night shooting just 8-for-18 from the field, but Broome would not be completely denied.
A big-time moment from Broome came just before the under 12-minute media timeout. The Plant City, Fla., native came off a roll and rose for a poster dunk over Duke forward Mason Gillis. He was rewarded with a free throw, which he converted to cut the Blue Devils’ lead to 58-54, and his subsequent finish made it 58-56.
Earlier in the first half, Evans — also known by the nickname “Slim” — flicked his wrist for another triple to give the Blue Devils their first lead of the night. After a couple triples from Pettiford, Evans added to his unconscious performance with two more 3-pointers at the end of the half. Every time another one of his shots rang true, No. 3 turned to the student section for a celebration. They responded in turn, making communication nearly impossible for the Tigers — who went into the halftime locker room trailing 43-36.
"He played a very big role in us coming back, and when he hit the threes, the team felt alive. He gave us a lot of energy," Maluach said.
"It's a great lesson for young players. It's the combination of being pissed [because] he wants to play, and I want guys to be pissed and have that edge about them, and having the humility to just attack every single day. And then there's the third part of having amazing courage in this game to come in and do what he did," Scheyer said. "I don't know if I've been a part of something like that in my years."
However, it was the Tigers who drew first blood.
Senior guard Miles Kelly came off a screen at the top of the key for a triple that brought a roar from the well-traveled Auburn faithful and grew the Tigers’ early lead to 10-2. The Georgia Tech transfer motioned to the crowd, then nailed another three from deep behind the line to force an early timeout from Scheyer.
Next up for the Blue Devils is the ACC opener on the road against a new-look Louisville Dec. 8.
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Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.