In a story that is all too familiar this season, Duke got off to another slow start. Just two minutes into the game, Pittsburgh led Duke 8-0. Jalen Johnson and Wendell Moore were two early substitutions made by Duke at this stage in the game. Duke slowly crept back into the game and eventually took the lead after a Matthew Hurt three at the 3:52 mark. The lead lasted all of 10 seconds as Pittsburgh immediately answered with a three of their own. Pittsburgh ended the half on a 14-3 run in what was a nightmare stretch for Duke.
It was a disastrous start to the second half. Pittsburgh extended their lead to 15 with 16:32 left to play. Jalen Johnson would score the next eight points for Duke and was essentially the sole reason Duke was able to quickly cut the lead to eight. Jalen Johnson dominating would be the theme for the rest of the half. The Freshman was spectacular. But despite his nearly flawless play, Duke could not overcome the hole they dug for themselves.
Duke cut the lead to two at three different occasions down the stretch but that was as close as they would get. Jalen Johnson fouled out at the 2:15 mark and though Duke was still able to score on the next two possessions after he fouled out, they could not get enough stops down the stretch.
Five Takeaways
Best game of the season for Jalen Johnson
Jalen Johnson was dominant in this game, finishing with 24 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 blocks, and 2 steals. His fingerprints were all over the game. It was a breakout game for Johnson and one he can build off moving forward.
Rough night from Jeremy Roach
Jeremy Roach made several uncharacteristic passes in this game, resulting in four turnovers. He finished 5-16 from the field, including 0-7 from beyond the arc. He has become quite the efficient offensive player so this performance came as a bit of a surprise.
Poor defensive effort
The referees were very whistle happy in this one, but that does not excuse Duke giving up 37 free throw attempts. Duke was repeatedly allowing easy dump off passes to players near the rim and consistently were beat off the dribble. It was a recipe for a parade to the free throw line for the Panthers.
Lack of playing time for Jordan Goldwire
Jordan Goldwire was averaging 32.3 minutes per game heading into this game. He played just nine minutes on the night. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if this was just a one game blip or if Goldwire is going to see a decrease in minutes.
Poor start to both first and second half
Duke was outscored 8-0 in the first minute two minutes of the first half and 8-2 in the first 1:35 of the second half. Duke had some positive moments in this game, but the abysmal starts to each half were too much to overcome.