Duke broke open a close game late in the first half and cruised to an (almost) 30-point win against a team from Pennsylvania Tuesday night.
No, you’re not reading a rewrite of the Bucknell game.
Rather Duke’s 95-66 win over a previously undefeated LaSalle team, a win so solid that Jon Scheyer said “I was really happy with the game tonight. I thought we played a well-rounded game. It’s probably the closest to a 40-minute game we’ve put together so far.”
There was a lot to like. Duke jumped to an 11-2 lead, LaSalle closed to 11-9 and it was close as late as 19-18. But Kyle Filipowski scored inside, then Tyrese Proctor scored eight points in a span of exactly two minutes and it was 29-19.
“Tyrese was terrific tonight,” Scheyer said. “This was his best game of the season, maybe period.”
Still, Duke led by only 10 points, 39-29, at the half. LaSalle did a lot of things it needed to do to hang around for the first half. They only committed five fouls, only turned it over three times and forced Duke into 2 for 9 from beyond the arc.
And they held Filipowski to three points in a foul-plagued half.
Filipowski had two fouls at the half and picked up a third 38 seconds into the second half.
“We’re keeping him in there,” Scheyer laughed. “Let it be known.”
Good call, coach.
Filipowski knocked down a 3 to give Duke a 44-31 lead, then an old-fashioned three-point play for 47-31, then a layup for 51-31, then another triple for 61-40.
“I thought our first half was okay,” LaSalle coach Fran Dunphy said. “Then in the second half, Filipowski making a couple of 3s hurt us. They shot terrific in the second half.”
LaSalle is a team that functions best when it can control the tempo. They start four guards and don’t go very deep into their bench in competitive games.
Duke was able to speed them up and force them out of their comfort zone.
“I feel like we dictated pace,” Jeremy Roach said. “Just trying to keep their guards in front and try to control the ball. Jai [Lucas] did a helluva job with the scouting.”
The lead kept getting bigger and bigger, peaking at 95-63 late before a final LaSalle 3-pointer.
Some of the stats were very impressive. The Blue Devils out rebounded the Explorers 42-27, with a 14-4 advantage in second-chance points. Duke had 21 assists against five turnovers, with five players notching 3, 4, or 5 assists.
“Taking care of the ball--we always want to win the turnover battle--that’s a big thing coming into the season,” Roach said. “But 21 assists, five turnovers, that’s really special.”
Proctor discussed Duke’s defense.
”We were just really locking into our scout and trying to guard the ball and I think that’s where a lot of their turnovers came from.”
Proctor had a Duke-best 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and his third consecutive game without a turnover.
Proctor has 27 assists and four turnovers so far this season
Filipowski added 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, Mark Mitchell 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.
But we’ve seen that before. Freshman post Sean Stewart had his first college double-double, 16 points and 10 rebounds, hitting 7 of 9 from the field in just under 18 minutes.
“Just crashing the glass and coming down playing with a lot of energy,” Stewart said. “That’s what I try to do every time I step on the court. Since I was young I’ve always played with energy and passion. You don’t know how long you’re going to be out there, so when you come in there’s no time to relax.”
Scheyer said the most exciting part of Stewart’s game is “he’s got so much room to grow. He’s at such an early stage at his development as a player. But he can do something right now that translates, with his ability to rebound, to protect the rim, his versatility guarding the ball.”
Classmate T.J. Power hit three triples, showing that shooting stroke that made him one of the nation’s most dangerous prep shooters.
Christian Reeves didn’t dress out again, bothered with a bad ankle. But Scheyer said Reeves was day-to-day and Duke hoped to get him back soon.
Southern Indiana next, Friday night, but first the team will be together for Thanksgiving, Scheyer said.
“We’re going to have our entire program, our players, their families get together on Thanksgiving Day and celebrate all that we have to be thankful for.”
I have a man crush on Stewart. I LOVE the energy he brings.
Proctor was amazing and I continue to be impressed by Stewart.