Death. Taxes. And December games before exams played at a subpar level.
It’s as inevitable as snow in Alaska. Duke came out and was as flat as Kyrie Irving’s view of the Earth, and to Incarnate Words credit, they felt it and capitalized when they could. Duke started slowly on both ends as the Cardinals hustled. Neither team really shot the ball well, but the away team gritted out loose balls, grabbed 6 points off of Duke turnovers, and added 4 second chance points;that comprised nearly half of their first half total. Duke, well, they couldn’t throw it in the ocean from a cruise ship. The first half offensive numbers were abysmal for the Blue Devils, who shot 33.3% from the field, less than half that percentage from beyond the arc. The Blue Devils still managed to eke out a 7-point lead at the half (28-21).
The Blue Devils have been better in the second half of games, whether it’s a need to settle in, a need to feel the ire of the coaching staff, or they’ve asked for their wake-up calls to occur at the half. It’s worked, and Duke began the half on a nice 11-0 run that started with a 3-point play from Khaman Maluach. Duke followed that up with a 12-5 run, effectively ending the Cardinals hopes of keeping the game within reach. The keys to those Duke runs began with Duke defense, turning the Cardinals over 6 times in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Offensively, Duke flexed offensively as well, making 6 of their 12 shots from beyond the arc in the second half and shooting 56% from the floor overall in the half. Duke held advantages in paint points to the tune of 30 to 14 and second chance points of 14 to 4. Duke was also a lot better and forceful in the second stanza on the defensive glass as well, holding the Cardinals to just 1 offensive rebound after giving up 7 in the first half.
The home team pulled away to win it 72-46, but it doesn’t make it any less disconcerting to see the Blue Devils struggle in the first half once again. It’s hard to say if this is just part of a trend considering the amount of travel they’ve done, playing a number of true road games at this point and on the cusp of a week off. Suffice it to say, this team is due some rest and recovery time.
Freshman Khaman Maluach led the Blue Devils with 17 points, a career high. The 7’2 center went 6-of-7 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line, and grabbed 7 boards. Cooper Flagg and Sion James each grabbed 8 rebounds to lead Duke in that category. Mason Gillis, despite not scoring a point, dished 5 assists to lead the Blue Devils.
