It was an unfamiliar first half game script for Duke in this one. Duke jumped out to a rare quick start and led 10-4 at the under 16 timeout.
Over the next several minutes, Duke fell back into some of the bad habits they have developed this season. Defensively, they were giving up open look after look from beyond the arc to Georgia Tech. Duke was fortunate that the Yellow Jackets shot just 3/13 from distance in the half. Offensively, Duke became very stagnant. This led to Duke falling behind by as many as four at the 8:21 mark at the first half after their quick start.
It was an excellent final four minutes of the half for Duke. Duke outscored Georgia Tech 10-0 and carried all the momentum into the half. Mark Williams was the story of the first half for Duke. More on him later.
The immediate start to the second half yielded good results for Duke, but that tailed off very quickly. After building the lead to 11 points with 15:39 left to play, Georgia Tech quickly fought their way back into the game. Duke did not seem to have an answer.
With under 10:00 to go, Georgia Tech tied the game at 52. The two teams would be neck and neck down the stretch. Neither team led by more than two points from the 4:28 mark of the half until there just 46 seconds left. Duke’s young guys showed great poise to emerge with the win in such a tightly contested game down the stretch.
Five Observations
Mark Williams
Williams played his best game of the season. He energized Duke in the first half with six points off the bench. He provided a defensive presence in the paint the team has otherwise been lacking. He showed off his underrated passing ability with a couple nice touch passes and did a great job on the glass. It was an all around impressive performance from Williams. He gives Duke an entirely different look when he is in the game and playing well. This game was certainly a confidence builder for Williams.
Strong close to the first half
Closing the half has been an issue for Duke all season. The way Duke played to end the first half in this was game was refreshing to see. The defensive intensity was especially high during this stretch and it led to an energizing 10-0 run as the teams headed to the locker room.
Hurt, Johnson combination
Matthew Hurt and Jalen Johnson played easily their best game of the season together. Hurt finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds on 6/11 FG. Johnson added 18 points and 6 rebounds and was also efficient, shooting 7/11 from the field. These two had not yet flourished on the floor simultaneously until tonight. If Duke can get this kind of production from these two moving forward, the outlook of the season changes.
Free throw shooting, particularly in the closing minutes
Duke shot 18/22 from the line as a team in this one. The excellent percentage is a great sign, but even more encouraging is the fact they shot 11/14 from the line in the final 5:40 of the game. This game could have easily gone either way. Duke’s stellar free throwing helped propel them to victory.
Attacking down the stretch
The way Duke closed this game out was very different than what has transpired at other points of the season. Rather than settling for jumpers late in a close second half, Duke relentlessly attacked the rim, and reaped the rewards. Settling for jumpers has really hurt the team at times on the season, but that was not the case in this one. Duke will be able to build on this moving forward.
Player of the game: Jalen Johnson
There are multiple worthy choices for player of the game tonight. The back to back and one baskets Johnson scored down the stretch were arguably the two biggest baskets of the game, and he made the free throw on each and one opportunity to boot. He was very good on both ends of the floor on the night. Matthew Hurt, DJ Steward, and Jordan Goldwire were all excellent. Mark Williams made a huge impact off the bench. It was a great team effort from Duke.