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(7) Duke 85, Penn 55

January 2, 2012

Posted by Dave Bradley under Ballgames

Duke Runs Past Quakers to Open 2012

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Turning Point

The Blue Devils took control early, scoring 20 of the game’s first 24 points.

Blue Devil Ballers

Ryan Kelly recorded his first career double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.  Seth Curry added 15, Mason and Miles Plumlee combined for 20 points and 21 boards and Quinn Cook dished out nine assists.

Duke Data

10 — Consecutive halves Duke has scored at least 40 points

17 — Assists by Quinn Cook over the past two games (with zero turnovers)

15.4 — Penn’s 3pt shooting percentage in the game (2-13 3pt), compared to 45.0% (9-20 3pt) for Duke

43 — Consecutive home wins for Duke

Coach K’s Comments

“We played well tonight.  I thought from start to finish our goal was to really play [Zack] Rosen and [Tyler] Bernardini.  I think they’re two of the better guards that we’ve played against.  Rosen has been an All-Ivy first team guy for three years and is a player of the year candidate and Cousy Award nominee.  I thought Tyler and Quinn did a good job on him.  Our big guys did a very good job on ball screens, which he usually uses very well to get into the lane and distribute.  So our ball screen defense was excellent.  Bernardini has been about as hot as anybody from three-point range.  He hit 20 threes in the last four games and had two eight-three games.  One against UCLA and then against Marist for eight.  We had Seth, Andre and then Mike on him…  Our big guys were dominant on the boards and we shared the ball again really well.  About two-thirds of our buckets were assisted just like the last game.  And Quinn is playing great.  He’s had 17 assists and no turnovers and his defense has been good.  I was really proud of our guys and their preparation for this cause I think they’re a good team and they were not able to run offense the way they normally do.  Overall I think it’s probably as good of a defensive effort as we’ve had team wise so far this year so we’re getting a little bit better there.”

Locker Room Reaction

“You have to keep adding as a team.  You can’t be the same team at the beginning of the year that you are at the end.  We’ve been adding every day and every week, and that’s making us a better team.”
Ryan Kelly

“We’re getting a lot better as a team.  Our offense is a lot more free-flowing and faster-paced.  We’re trying to push the ball up the floor, and Coach is giving us a lot of freedom to run and make plays.  And that’s what you want as a player.  We’re excited about this style of play, and we’re putting more points on the board because of it.”
Seth Curry

“The last few games we’ve played a lot faster, and that can be a good thing for our team.  We can get out in transition and run.  That’s the most fun way to play, and that’s how we want to play.  But it all starts with rebounding.”
Mason Plumlee

“Obviously, this program – it’s been documented numerous times – that they play the right way.  They play hard.  They’re aggressive.  They rebound.  They defend.  When you do those things, more times than not, you win.  [I have] the utmost respect for this program and Coach and what he’s accomplished and I wish him nothing but the best.”
Penn Coach Jerome Allen

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Box score — Stat recap

AP recap — Kelly Has Double-Double

Quotes — Coach and player comments

Notes — Team and player updates

Notes

*Next up: Duke travels to Philly to take on Temple this Wednesday (7 PM, ESPN2).

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(7) Duke 110, W. Michigan 70

December 31, 2011

Posted by Dave Bradley under Ballgames

Duke’s final game of 2011 results in 40-point win

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Turning Point

The Blue Devils took command with an early 32-6 run and raced out to a 63-35 halftime lead.

Blue Devil Ballers

Seth Curry scored 22 points, Austin Rivers netted 20, Quinn Cook contributed 16 points and 8 assists, Josh Hairston had a career-high 13, and Tyler Thornton was 4-for-4 from downtown in scoring 12.

Duke Data

14 — 3′s by Duke in the game (14-27 3pt), a season high

19 — Consecutive points scored by Duke during a 4:16 span in the first half (longest scoring streak of the season for Duke)

54-3 — Duke’s December record under Coach K

12 — Blocks by Duke (most this season and eighth-most in school history)

Coach K’s Comments

“I thought our team played well.  We came out and not only played well offensively but defensively.  They’re a very good offense team and they’re coming off a game where they had 91 points against Oakland and beat them by 18 at Oakland.  I thought our guys were pretty focused.  We took good shots.  We hit a lot of threes, but I thought they were good threes.  Our guard play at the point was outstanding.  Quinn’s stat line to get eight assists and no turnovers and his ball pressure was really good.  Tyler hit four-for-four from three.  But again they were open shots and he knocked them down.  And it was good to see Seth  get into a good rhythm.  I think the injury that he had knocked him back a little bit.  He had a tough three or four game stretch where he just couldn’t get lift.  I just think we were fresher and played well.  One day’s rest and Penn will come in here and be a pretty good team.”

Locker Room Reaction

“I love this stretch where we play so many games so close together.  You want to play.  Practice is cool, but you’d rather get out there and play.  I’m glad, getting back from this break, we’re playing as many games as possible.”
Seth Curry

“It’s always going to be an emphasis for me.  I know I can rebound really well with my athleticism and size.  I think I’m just relaxing out there and making it my mindset to always go after the ball every time, because they’re not always going to come in your area.”
Miles Plumlee, on hitting the boards (Miles had 15 boards in the game)

“Even on (opponents’) makes we’re getting it and going and going.  Our guys are in such good shape right now.  We’ve been running and running in practice. … We’re going to try to outrun teams and score.”
Austin Rivers

“It’s like going in a heavyweight bout.  You may get in a punch or two in the early rounds.  But they wear you down with body shots.  When you let your guard down, they don’t just score two.  They score 10, they score 12, they score 14.”
Western Michigan Head Coach Steve Hawkins

Crazies

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Box score — Stat recap

AP recap — Cook sparks Duke

Quotes — Coach and player comments

Notes — Team and player updates

Notes

*Next up: Duke opens 2012 with a January 1st game against Penn at 5 PM in Cameron (ESPNU).

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(7) Duke 90, UNCG 63

December 20, 2011

Posted by Dave Bradley under Ballgames

Duke returns from exam break to earn 10th win of season

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GoDuke.com Game Highlights

Turning Point

The Blue Devils ended the first half with a 15-6 run over the final 4:42 to take a 45-34 lead into the break.

Blue Devil Ballers

Mason Plumlee recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds.  Quinn Cook scored a career-high 14 points (all in the second half) on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor.  Austin Rivers also netted 14 in the victory.

Duke Data

26 — Combined rebounds by Mason and Miles Plumlee (one board shy of UNCG’s total as a team)

90 — Consecutive home wins by Duke over non-conference teams (NCAA best)

14 — Consecutive wins by Duke in the month of December

10 — 3pt field goals by Duke in the game (the most since 2/2/11)

Coach K’s Comments

“I thought UNC Greensboro really played a heck of a first half against us.  They took the fight to us and I thought their defense was physical and good.  They were energized.  I’m not sure our guys expected that, although they should.  It’s a really good thing for their team.  I thought they really came ready to play and they played hard throughout.  But then the last five minutes of the first half and all the second half I thought we played really hard and well.  Our rebounding was key.  Miles and Mason, I think both of them had 13 boards.  Our two young kids, Quinn and Mike, really had their best minutes.  That was so good going into the break.  We’ve come off of two really tough weeks with the academics, and we’re taking a break.  We talk about it all the time – you’ve got to be really ready, and I didn’t think we were as ready as we needed to be, and we got ready.  Again, if they don’t show up to play, you don’t look like you’re not ready.  But them coming in and playing so hard and well – I thought they were very well prepared.  I thought they played really well against us.  The second half, though, we held them in single digits for a long time.  And then we executed our offense very well and a lot of guys got minutes and really good play.  When you play against a team that plays that hard, those are good minutes.  Those are good minutes to have.”

Locker Room Reaction

“You can’t give up easy layups and be a good defensive team.  They were getting them off penetration and off the breaks.  Once we got that corrected, we played very well.  The good news is that we were able to turn it around in the game.  I think it’d be more concerning if we were to go through a whole game with that as a problem.  The second half was a different story, and that’s the sign of a good team – if things aren’t going your way, to be able to get out of a slump.  We have to be able to do that to be a good team.”
Mason Plumlee

“It was just one of those games where I was happy to impact it any way I could.  I didn’t get frustrated – I had two buckets I definitely should’ve finished, and I’m mad about that.  But all in all, I was glad I was rebounding and playing defense.  And guys stepped up, so it was a really good win.”
Miles Plumlee

“Our whole thing before we went out in the second half was we don’t want to go on a six-day break thinking about a loss or a bad win.  We wanted to go on the break with good spirits, feeling like we played a great game.  That’s why we got it together and went out there and played hard and played unselfish.  The main thing was we got after it on defense.”
Austin Rivers

Crazies

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Box score — Stat recap

AP recap — Plumlee, Cook Push Duke Past UNCG

Quotes — Coach and player comments

Notes — Team and player updates

Notes

*Next up: Duke breaks for Christmas before returning to action on December 30th in Cameron vs. W. Michigan (7 PM, ESPN2).

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(7) Duke 86, Washington 80

December 11, 2011

Posted by Dave Bradley under Ballgames

Austin Rivers scores 18 to lead Duke past Washington at MSG

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Turning Point

Duke held Washington scoreless during stretches of 5:40 and 2:55 in the first half and led 40-26 at the break.  Washington closed the gap late as the Blue Devils struggled from the charity stripe, but the six-point final margin was Duke’s slimmest lead in the second half.

Blue Devil Ballers

Austin Rivers scored 18 points, Andre Dawkins added 17 and Ryan Kelly contributed 16 points and eight boards.

Duke Data

52-3 — Coach K’s record in the month of December

35-2 — Duke record in the past 37 non-conference games

22-7 — Duke’s record at Madison Square Garden under Coach K

Coach K’s Comments

“Today, one of the stories, quite obviously, is our missed free throws.  You know, we make free throws it’s not that close at the end.  Now when you miss free throws like that, the result can be different at the end and you can lose.  And so the fact that we did that and still won doesn’t negate the really good performance that we had.  So overall, with the foul trouble, missed free throws and playing a good opponent, I thought this was a heck of a win for us…  We love coming up to Madison Square Garden.  We try to do it once every year and, great crowd, our school loves it. … I love playing at Cameron, but outside of Cameron, Madison Square Garden is the place.”

Locker Room Reaction

“We knew they would score in spurts and they did.  We got a little lax but we were able to finish the game out.”
Andre Dawkins

“I could play here every day, this is fun.  We play here all the time so we might as well get used to it.”
Austin Rivers

Crazies

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Box score — Stat recap

AP recap — Duke edges Washington

Notes — Team and player updates

Blue Devils survive foul trouble — News & Observer recap

Notes

*Next up: Duke takes a break for final exams before meeting UNC-Greensboro on December 19th in Cameron (7 PM, RSN).

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(7) Duke 87, Colorado St. 64

December 8, 2011

Posted by Dave Bradley under Ballgames

Team effort pushes Duke past Colorado State

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Turning Point

Duke held Colorado State scoreless over the final 5:04 of the first half and outscored the Rams 10-0 during that span.

Blue Devil Ballers

Mason Plumlee filled the stat sheet with 14 points, 10 boards, five blocks and four steals.  Austin Rivers scored a team-high 17 points while Andre Dawkins added 15 points (all in the first half due to a back injury).

Duke Data

40 — Consecutive home wins by Duke (NCAA best)

.846 — Combined shooting percentage of Mason and Marshall Plumlee (11-for-13)

90 — Consecutive wins by Duke against non-conference opponents

Coach K’s Comments

“I thought we beat a really good team tonight – well-coached, not conventional for our league in that you had times that five guys who could play guard out in the game.  They came into the game, I think, leading the country or second in the country in three-point field goal percentage.  In the last four games, we shot 52 percent from the three, so our goal was to try to take away the three as much as possible.  Initially, we gave up a lot of layups but we were taking away the three and trying to get it to their wings a little bit.  I thought the last seven minutes of the half we played great defense when we got that lead.  And we didn’t play very good defense for six minutes, and then the rest of the game we played well defensively.  A lot of guys played.  We shared the ball better than we’ve shared it at any game this year with 21 assists on 31 buckets with only nine turnovers, so that was the best we’ve done that.  It’s a tough game for our big guys to play because they’ve got to play out on the court so much.  I thought the four big guys did a nice job.  This is a tough week for our kids.  A number of them have finals – final projects and final presentations today, a lot of them have them tomorrow.  The week before exams, you can go a little brain-dead with all this stuff and I thought our guys were pretty good.  We’ve got to carry that through to Saturday because we’ll play against the most athletic team we’ve played against in Washington.  But a good job by our team against a very good basketball team.”

Locker Room Reaction

“There’s nothing better than playing in the games, so we practiced hard, we prepared well, and we were ready to play in a game.  There were still some lapses defensively but overall I thought we played well.”
Mason Plumlee

“I don’t think people realize how big practice can be for a team.  We were playing so many games, and I was having a great time – games are games and it’s a lot more fun than practice.  But sometimes when you go a long period of time without practice, you start to forget the fundamentals of what makes your team great. I’m not saying we did that, but I think practice just reiterates some things with our team.  When we went back to practice, everybody started getting back to their roles and playing the way we know we can play, especially on the defensive end, and then we got that victory [tonight].”
Austin Rivers

Crazies

Around the Web

Box score — Stat recap

AP recap — Rivers Leads Duke

Quotes — Coach and player comments

Notes — Team and player updates

Notes

*Next up: Duke heads to NYC for another round at Madison Square Garden.  The Blue Devils will meet Washington Saturday at noon (CBS).

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