IN PICTURES - Pre-game intros and game action
THE TURNING POINT
An undersized Pfeiffer squad was overmatched from the jump. The Devils raced out to a 14-0 lead at the first TV timeout and cruised from there. The Falcons played a frenetic, uptempo style sending multiple defenders at our ball-handlers and then looking for quick shots on the offensive end. We had little trouble with the fast-paced game because of our depth and the ball-handling skills of our big guys.
BLUE DEVIL BALLERS
Every Blue Devil dressed saw action in this one and eight of our players reached double figures in scoring. Kyle netted a team-high 21 points taking only seven shots from the floor (6-7 FG, 3-4 3pt, 6-9 FT). Freshmen roommates Ryan, Mason and Andre looked very solid playing against an opponent in Cameron for the first time, scoring 18, 18 and 12 points respectively.
DUKE DATA
65 – Rebounds by Duke, compared to 24 for the Falcons
41 – Duke’s lead at halftime
73% – Duke’s FG% in the second half (27-34 FG)
67 – Points scored by the Devils in the second half
COACH K’S COMMENTS
“We are pleased with the game. We are a much more talented team, but playing against that style is one of the reasons we wanted to play against them. Especially for the first 20 minutes because they push the ball down the court so much and they can hit threes and they can dribble penetrate. That’s something that’s good for us to practice against and I thought for the 20 minutes we did an especially good job because they keep playing hard. We got a little sloppy in the second half, but overall I was really pleased and nobody got hurt. That’s the big thing for me. I thought overall we looked good. All three of the freshmen did a great job.”
LOCKER ROOM REACTION
This was one of the early games we’ve ever played in the preseason but the guys were happy to get out on the court and take on an opponent. Said Jon, “Since I’ve been here, I think this is the earliest game we’ve had. I think it’s good though. It gives us a sense of where we are, and now we have eight practices where we can really get a lot better. I think it’s good to get a taste of playing somebody else and seeing your strengths and weaknesses and what you need to improve on. That’ll help us for the next week or so.”
The team has been working hard all summer and into the first semester, and the exhibition game provided the stage for the team to show what they’ve been working on. Mason said, “It was a lot of fun. It’s crazy – we were just talking about how exciting it was to finally play someone else. We’ve been here since the summer, so it’s nice to play someone else and kind of show what we’ve been working on.”
THE SIXTH MAN
It’s Family and Parent’s Weekend at Duke so the Crazies were able to sit with their families in the student section. A number of dads were spotted sporting blue wigs and Duke tee-shirts, helping their sons and daughters cheer on our Blue Devils and welcome Pfeiffer to historic Cameron Indoor Stadium. It was a big weekend at Duke and we appreciated all the great signs of support in the crowd from the Crazies and their families.
AROUND THE WEB
The boxscore – Just the stats
Duke routs Pfeiffer – A quick recap
We have versatile bigs – And they showed their well-rounded skill sets against Pfeiffer
Close to home – Ryan Kelly adjusting nicely to college life
A world and national title? – ESPN’s Andy Katz looks at what’s ahead for Coach K
GAME NOTES
*Lance sat this one out because he has been sick but the senior captain hopes to resume team activities on Monday after our off-day Sunday.
*Next up: Our final exhibition tuneup is Nov. 3rd when defending Division II national champ Findlay comes to Cameron at 7:00 PM. Tickets are still available – Check GoDuke.com.
FAVE PHOTO – LOOK OUT BELOW
Tags: "exhibition", "pfeiffer"
