Duke put on a defensive clinic in its 72-46 victory over Incarnate Word Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
From the opening tip, the Blue Devils made life miserable for Incarnate Word’s offense. Even without Duke’s best defender, Maliq Brown, the Cardinals, averaging 75.5 points per game this season, were suffocated by Duke’s pressure and discipline.
The Blue Devils forced Incarnate Word into difficult shots, holding them 5-for-23 from the 3-point range and 17-of-53 from the field. These percentages, 21.7% from beyond the arc and 32.1% from inside, are much lower than their season averages of 40.5% and 47.8%, respectively.
“We've had the best defense … one of the best defenses in the country,” head coach Jon Scheyer said.
The Blue Devils also forced 11 turnovers. Despite Brown’s absence, Duke adjusted its positional rotations to maintain defensive pressure, proving the depth of its lineup. Freshman centers Khaman Maluach and Patrick Ngongba II filled the gaps left by Brown.
“[Not having Brown] changes our rotation and everything else because Brown is such a big piece for us, especially defensively,” Maluach said. “Him not being there is always a gap missing. It really changed our rotations.”
This was clearly a team effort. Duke dominated the defensive stat sheet; specifically, it controlled the glass late, outrebounding its opponent 44-26, which included a 16-8 advantage on the offensive boards that led to 14 crucial second-chance points. Good defense creates offensive momentum. The Blue Devils scored 15 points off of turnovers and thrived in second-half transition buckets.
“[In] the second half, I just loved our pressure on the ball. [I] thought we talked on switches way better. We broke down into the clock in the first half a few times, and we cleaned that up in the second half,” Scheyer said. “And they're well coached. They run great movement on offense, and once our talk picked up and our impact on the ball, I think that was the difference.”
Ngongba was brought in to support the team defensively without Brown. However, with two early turnovers, he was sidelined once again and returned occasionally throughout the game. James made his presence noted, grabbing eight rebounds, tied for the most on the Blue Devils with Cooper Flagg. But overall, Maluach was specifically instrumental in Duke’s success Tuesday evening. Leading the team with 16 points and notching seven rebounds, the Rumbek, South Sudan, native was everywhere.
“Our offense is one thing, but we’re at our best when our defense leads to our offense and we're getting stops and pushing the ball,” Flagg said. “So it just comes down to having a defensive mindset.”
Duke’s pressure and energetic defense forced the Cardinals into scoring droughts throughout the game, the longest coming at the beginning of the second half. Incarnate Word did not score for 6:37 of game time as the Blue Devils extended their lead from seven entering the second half to 16. What was once a low-scoring, close game in the first half stretched to a 31-point Blue Devil lead at its peak.
“We've been a pretty good second half team for the most part,” Flagg said. “So it was good to just come out and kind of hit them in the face early in the second half, and kind of create a little bit of separation.”
If the past games have not made it evident, this performance sent a clear message: Duke’s defensive talent will be a cornerstone of its success this season.
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