Duke was locked in from the start. Duke jumped out to a quick 13-6 lead before the first media timeout. The offense was humming. Duke’s strong start forced a Syracuse timeout with 14:27 left to play. Syracuse’s attempt to slow Duke after the timeout was not a successful one.
Duke’s offense to continued operate with incredible efficiency. The team assisted on each of its first 16 made field goals. Duke started a remarkable 8-13 from beyond the three point line.
By the 6:30 mark of the first half, Duke had built a 22 point lead after a Henry Coleman layup. The 22 point lead was the largest lead Duke held in the first half. Syracuse responded with a run to cut the lead back down to 14.
Duke answered the Syracuse run nicely. After Syracuse cut the lead to 14, Mark Williams made a layup and DJ Steward hit a jumper to extend Duke’s lead back to 18. At the break, Duke led 52-34.
Duke extended their lead to begin the second half. A three point play from DJ Steward gave Duke a 21 point lead with 16:59 to play. Syracuse got hot offensively and was able to shave Duke’s lead back down to 14 after a Quincy Guerrier three.
Duke again answered Syracuse’s attempt to get back into the game. Jordan Goldwire knocked down a three to extend Duke’s lead to 17 with 12:01 to play. After a couple Mark Williams dunks and another Goldwire three, Duke was ahead by 23.
Duke really started to air the ball out with 9:00 left. Duke was in complete control and it was just a matter of salting the game away. When the final buzzer sounded, Duke walked away with an 85-71 win.
Five Observations:
Ball movement
The ball was moving as effectively as it has all season. Duke was faced with a new challenge in the zone defense Syracuse plays, and passed the test with flying colors. The team assisted on its first 16 made field goals. It was a phenomenal performance. Duke finished with an eye-popping 27 assists.
Three point shooting
Duke continues to scorch the nets from deep. Their three point shooting was nothing short of remarkable in the first half. Duke did a great job creating open looks, and were even getting contested looks to drop. Duke shot 10/18 from three in the first half and 13/29 in the game.
DJ Steward, Jeremy Roach
The Freshmen back court was as good it has been all season. Both players were doing a fantastic job at creating for others as well as getting their own points. They each played a huge role in Duke getting off to such a strong start. Steward had 13 points and 4 assists in the first half while Roach had 14 points and 3 assists. Steward ended up recording a season high seven assists to go with 21 points while Roach continued his stellar play in the second half as well. Roach finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and seven assists.
Zero let down
Perhaps the biggest positive takeaway from this game is the fact that Duke showed great maturity by coming out of the gate with an obvious fire and intensity. This game could have easily turned into a disappointment for Duke. Coming off a season defining win, it would have been easy for this young team to take their foot off the gas a bit. It was quite the contrary . This game was a testament to how much this team has improved.
Mark Williams
Mark Williams dominated this game. He made highlight play after highlight play. Williams was fantastic on both sides of the ball. He blocked two shots and impacted several others with his rim presence. He made plays by running the floor in transition as well as in the half court. He set a season high with 18 points. His fingerprints were all over this game.
Player of the game: Mark Williams
Take your pick from Mark Williams, DJ Steward, or Jeremy Roach. All three were incredible.