Defense, rebounding, Filipowski key Duke comeback
Blue Devils overcome 11-point halftime deficit to beat Pittsburgh
Well, that was fun.
There are lots of story lines around Duke’s 77-69 come-from-behind win over Pittsburgh. There was freshman Kyle Filipowski dominating inside, 28 points, 15 rebounds, as Duke mauled Pitt on the boards 51-28.
“Flip was great tonight,” Scheyer said. “He hasn’t played as well. He’s been a difference maker for us when he’s playing at his peak, it’s a game changer. He puts a lot of pressure on the defense.”
“I thought we played really, really hard,” Pitt coach Jeff Capel said. “Obviously, Filipowski is an outstanding player and he had a monster night tonight. We couldn’t keep them off the glass.”
Ryan Young added 10 rebounds.
“When Flip and I are both attacking the boards, it’ s a lot for other teams to handle,” Young said. “He’s a really athletic seven-footer who’s going for every rebound and I’m going for every rebound. It’s fun to play with a versatile player like that. He’s a constant mismatch.”
There was fellow freshman Tyrese Proctor who controlled the game down the stretch, six points in the final 2:32. Proctor ended the game with 14 points, five assists and zero turnovers.
“He’s done a great job of running the team,” Scheyer said. “He made it easy for other guys. He had a calming influence.”
Duke trailed 43-32 at the half after the visitors scored the final nine points. Duke had 12 turnovers at the half but ended with 17.
“We were careless with the ball in the first half,” Scheyer said. “There were too many one-pass possessions.”
And that defense. Pitt led 52-44 with 14:08 left and had the ball. But the Panthers wouldn’t get another field goal for over eight minutes. By that time Duke had jumped to a 64-55 lead, a 20-3 run.
“All of us being on the same page, just talking and having some pride as well,” Filipowski said of the defense.
On offense Duke stopping loving the three-ball and started embracing the attack. Filipowski and Proctor got old-fashioned 3-point plays, then Dereck Lively II scored inside to tie it. After that Filipowski had nine more points in less than three minutes to extend the lead.
Lively had a modest stat line, fouling out in 12 minutes with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block. But Duke sparked the defense with some aggressive switching and Lively’s ability to control Pitt’s guards on the perimeter was huge, as was the ability of the guards to keep Pitt’s bigs off the boards.
Scheyer said Duke’s switching defense in the second half turned Pitt into a one-on-one team, not their strength.
And the Crazies were, well Crazy with a capital C. Scheyer said this was the first time this season his team couldn’t’ hear him talk in time-out huddles.
“We have to give some thanks to the fans and the crowds and just how loud they got,” Filipowski said. “We fed off their energy.”
Duke also executed down the stretch. Pitt closed to four points at 71-67 and 73-69. But Duke got the ball in bounds against pressure, ran its offense and knocked down the foul shots it needed to knock down to blunt the Pitt comeback.
“I feel we learned something,” Scheyer summed up. “I think we learned what it takes to beat a really good team this time of the year. We were down double-digits and knowing we can fight back.”
The win puts Duke at 13-4 overall, 4-2 in the ACC, while dropping Pitt to 11-6 and 4-2. Duke visits Clemson Saturday and expect Jeremy Roach to be in street clothes.
Scheyer says Duke will have to bring its own energy to Death Valley and then we’ll know if his team grew up tonight. But that first big, come-from-behind win feels pretty good right now.
Great game from Flip and Proctor played the point well. Flip with 28 points and 15 rebounds, Tyrese with 14 points, 5 assists and 0 turnovers. Now a tough on the road game against Clemson.
GoDuke1