Blue Devils Roll Past Bulldogs in Marquee Matchup at MSG
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Turning Point
After Gonzaga scored to take a 10-8 lead with 9:43 left in the first half, the Blue Devils responded with an 11-0 run and never looked back. The Duke lead grew as large as 38 in the second half.
Blue Devil Ballers
Nolan Smith scored 24 points (10-18 FG, 3-3 3pt) while dishing out three assists, and Jon Scheyer recorded 20 points and eight assists. Brian Zoubek had a solid outing too, providing great defense and a strong presence in the paint.
Duke Data
44 – Combined points scored by Jon and Nolan
41 – Points scored by Gonzaga, the school’s lowest total since 1984
6 – Consecutive Duke wins at Madison Square Garden (aka Duke North), including 3-0 this year
21-6 – Coach K’s all-time record at Madison Square Garden
Coach K’s Comments
“You can’t let offense dictate defense. Because we have veteran players, they understand defense. This is the first team in seven or eight years that really understands our defense so well, not individually, but together. Lance played a great game today. The kid (Elias) Harris, I thing he is a really good player, and Lance did a great job on him. Obviously, (Matt) Bouldin is a great player and Kyle did a great job on him. They talk it out. It is not a new assignment. They actually talk to each other when we go through a walk through. It is kind of like, not on that level, how our Olympic team is. They have been in these situations a lot. They talk about defense. It is just a very mature way of doing that. The kid who really hasn’t gotten much attention for us, is Zoubek. Brian has had a hell of a year so far. Our veteran guys, they just know how to play. That veteran group, in the first half, did not let them score when we got that double-digit lead.”
Locker Room Reaction
Several former Blue Devils stopped by the locker room after the game to say hello while the team packed up and the players met with the media. Among the alums who dropped in were former point guards Jason Williams, Chris Duhon, and Greg Paulus. Jon was asked about putting on a show for the alumni PG’s and he responded, “I didn’t know who was here until after the game and that’s a good thing because you play a little differently if you do. I’m not one of those guys. They were obviously great guards and it was fun for Nolan and I to have a game like that. Nolan and I have a special chemistry.”
Sixth Man
As usual, our December “home” game in New York included a pro-Duke crowd at Madison Square Crowd (announced attendance was 14,554 — Mostly rooting for the Blue Devils). The Blue Devil was in the house, the cheerleaders made the trip, the alumni band was hard at work, and a couple of Duke fans even got a high-five from Nolan after a second-half three-pointer. Having played in and won three games in MSG this year, the storied venue definitely feels like our house.
Box Score — Stat recap
AP recap — Devils hold Zags to lowest point total in 25 years
D in Duke — Defense carries the day (by ESPN’s Andy Katz)
Devils Old Guard Watches Rout — NY Times on the guard reunion at MSG
Quotes — Coach and player reactions
Notes
*A number of former Duke players were in attendance at the game. In addition to previously mentioned Chris Duhon, Jason Williams and Greg Paulus, Alaa Abdelnaby, Matt Christensen, Andy Means and Kenny Dennard were also at the Garden.
*Next up: The players have a break for the holidays until December 26th. Our next game is December 29th at home against Long Beach State (7:00 PM, Fox Sports South).
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