The Cameron Crazies were blue. By the end of the night, so was Miami.
Duke’s student section donned full body paint to watch the Blue Devils defeat the Hurricanes in a sound 89-54 victory. Sensational shooting and lockdown defense delivered the team its 11th-straight win.
Though Miami’s scoring stayed roughly on par with Duke’s in the opening four minutes, it didn’t take long for the Blue Devils to scamper ahead. Kon Knueppel and Mason Gillis each sank two 3-pointers over the course of an 18-2 run, with Sion James and Isaiah Evans adding one apiece. Halfway into the first 20 minutes, Duke already led with a 26-10 stiffarm.
Head coach Jon Scheyer’s squad only grew the distance from there. As Duke held Miami to a four-minute scoring drought, it entertained the crowd with an alley-oop from Khaman Maluach and several more treys. The score leaped to 37-17, then 47-19.
“You have to earn separation,” Scheyer said. “Once you do, we just talk about having a killer instinct, having our foot on the gas. These guys have always responded.”
The Blue Devils’ widened their differential with the help of magic from behind the arc. Not only did they swish 64.7% of their first-half shots — far outpacing the usual 36.6% — but they held Miami to a paltry 18.2%. Gillis, who played extended minutes due to Maliq Brown’s absence, helped by shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from deep in the first half. Knueppel netted four of his own to start the night before capping the first 20 minutes with 18 points.
“I thought we did a good job of just getting downhill, getting in the lane, getting paint touches and then making the extra pass.” Knueppel said. “But it was good to see [Gillis] in full Mason-mode today. He and Pat obviously had to step up.”
Miami found some offensive production as halftime drew closer, including a valiant pair of jumpers from Lynn Kidd. The senior center scored 14 of the Hurricanes’ first-half points, but his team still entered the locker room down 50-26.
Duke looked shakier as the second half began, and the Hurricanes threw seven quick points on the board to chip the lead down 52-33. When a three from Knueppel offered some momentum, the Blue Devils seized it. They embarked on a 6-0 run to reestablish a 25-point lead before Miami’s Matthew Cleveland converted two free throws.
Turnovers and steals characterized the middle of the second. Both teams lost track of the ball, and Duke matched its four first-half turnovers just midway through. But though the Hurricanes attempted to capitalize on the Blue Devils’ mistakes, they simply couldn’t make shots rain down. Bill Courtney’s team finished with final 30% from deep and 39% in field goals, as Kidd struggled to rack up points at his previous speed.
Though both teams played with holes in their roster, Ngongba and Gillis stepped up in Brown’s absence. Miami continued to falter without key guard Nijel Pack and forward Divine Ugochukwu, and the Blue Devils combated the difference by sharing the ball and taking advantage of passing opportunities.
“We've found out how good we can be when we share it, and I think our guys have fallen in love with that,” Scheyer said. “That's something we tried to emphasize. It's not just the assists, it's making the right basketball play.”
Knueppel made his sixth trey of the night with just over six minutes left in the game. On Duke’s next possession, both Darren Harris and Maluach grabbed defensive rebounds to deliver third-chance points for the roaring Crazies. A 7-0 run eventually ended when Kidd hit a thunderous dunk of his own to make the score 76-44.
Miami’s Brandon Johnson received a technical foul as the game wound down, and Foster converted one of his two free-throw opportunities. The sophomore guard made up for the miss with a 3-pointer moments later, piggybacking on Duke’s trend of success from deep.
“Caleb just had such an impact on the game with his rebounding and his defense,” Scheyer said. “For him to see the ball go in the second half was great.”
The score was 85-52 with just over 90 seconds remaining, but the Blue Devils hadn’t wrapped up their storm. Spencer Hubbard took to the court and slung the ball sideways to Foster, who shot a picturesque three. Neal Begovich and Cameron Sheffield also saw minutes before the game ended, while Knueppel finished with a career-high 25 points.
Next up for the Blue Devils is a road tilt against Boston College Saturday at 8 p.m.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.