Duke, much like their start against Michigan State, got off to a hot start in this one. Thanks in large part to 3 three pointers from Brakefield, Duke jumped out to an early 15-2 lead. Mark Williams started and made his presence felt in this opening stretch for Duke, blocking shots and coming away with an and one on the offensive end. There were a lot of positive moments for Duke to start the game.
After a three from Matthew Hurt put Duke up 21-6, Bellarmine went on a 19-7 to cut the Duke lead to three. During this stretch, Duke completely stalled on offense. Jalen Johnson was on the bench with two fouls, but giving up a run like that to Bellarmine is not an encouraging sign, no matter who was on the floor for Duke.
Duke was able to build the lead back up to 1o before the half and went into the locker room with a 35-25 lead.
While far from perfect, it was a much better second half for Duke. Matthew Hurt was the driving force as he continued his stellar performance. Jalen Johnson scored all nine of his points in the second half.
After letting Bellarmine hang around in the first half, there was never any doubt in the second half. It was a much better performance and Duke needed a better half to gain some momentum heading into the matchup against Illinois.
Three Things I Liked:
Jaemyn Brakefield.
Jaemyn Brakefield delivered his second straight highly impressive performance. He has emerged as a real offensive weapon for Duke through three games. His shooting has been a huge lift for Duke. Brakefield went 4/4 from three tonight.
Mark Williams’ defensive presence.
Williams was very active on the defensive end. His length jumped off the screen and he came away with four blocks in the game. He altered a number of other shots as well. He gives Duke a rim protecting presence the team otherwise lacks. As an added bonus, the Hurt/Williams combination in the front court looked very good together.
Matthew Hurt looking like he’s taken the Sophomore leap.
This was a highly impressive performance from Matthew Hurt, perhaps one of the best in his Duke career. It looks like the game has slowed down for Hurt as he continues his excellent start to the season. Hurt finished the night with 24 points and 6 rebounds on 9/12 from the field.
Three things I didnt like:
Half court offense
While the second half was better, Duke still has a lot to work on in the half court. So far, Duke is lacking a true floor general to run the offense. This will be an area the team has to improve.
Poor performance from Wendell Moore
It has been three consecutive poor performances from Wendell Moore. After going 1-7 from the floor tonight, he is now 1-16 from the floor over the last two games. Moore will need to be much better for this team to reach its ceiling.
Giving up a 19-4 run
Giving up a run like this is never a good sign, but it’s especially concerning it happened against a clearly inferior opponent. Duke was able to survive the lull that caused this run to happen, but they cannot afford to allow these types of things to happen against stronger opponents.
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