Tag Archives: Duke-Duquense

Duke rips Duquense 95-72 behind Lance Thomas’ career high effort

[private]Duke finished off the month of November 7-0 with a convincing 95-72 victory over Duquesne.  It was

Thomas takes aim after intentional foul.  Copyright BDNP
Thomas takes aim after intentional foul. Copyright BDNP

perhaps Duke's best performance of the young season in that the team played balanced team ball.  Look no further for evidence than the  box score where they had 21 assists on 35 field goals.

With the exception of the last one eighth of the game where Duquense cut the lead down 16 points, it was a complete effort.  "We're not trying to win by 30 or 40 points.  We're trying to develop as a team," said Kryzyzewski.

That's been obvious to atuned Blue Devil fans, for there have been many line ups in the early going.  Afterall, Coach doesn't want his team peaking in 2008, but in 2009 when you're eventually one and done.

One of the key reason Duke won it's 64th consecutive non conference game in Cameron was the play of Lance Thomas.  This was a day when the junior would garner a career high 21 points with his hustling play.  There were several occasions where he ignited the home crowd with three point plays or goading the opponent into an intentional foul.

“In our offense, a lot of opponents like to stop what we’re doing on the perimeter, and Lance just plays off what we’re doing. A lot of times, our bigs are going to be open, and with his ability to run and beat his man down the court, he was able to get a few open layups. He embraces that role; he knows that’s how he’s going to score, and he does that every night,” said Gerald Henderson.

Kyle Singler was as steady as always with a stat line of 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.  Singler has scored in double figures in all seven wins.

“I think Singler is playing great. I’m not sure there’s a kid playing in the country who loves to play more than that kid. He has so much fun playing, and he made a play at the start of the second half that was one of the

Zoubs breaks to basket after stealing the ball.  BDNP
Zoubs breaks to basket after stealing the ball. BDNP

best plays I’ve seen in years. There was a scrum of a few rebounds, and all of a sudden he came in there with two hands, got the rebound and was fouled. It was a big-time play. You don’t see a play like that. And the kid loves to play. It’s such an honor to coach that kid,” said Coach K

Nolan Smith was the only other double figure scorer with 11 points, but one must consider that Duke had 46 points off the bench in a balanced offensive attack.  Duke also continued it's nice shooting from the free throw stripe going 80%.

But the biggest difference was the Blue Devils defense, which suffocated the Duke's early in the contest which they never trailed.  The Duke's managed just 39% from the field and most onf those connections came in the last ten minutes of the game.

There is little doubt that the staff has let the team know it's time to come together for December and beyond.  While there will still be a learning curve with concerns to chemistry, the early onslaught of games prepared the team for some tough road games.

That first road game will be against a Purdue team which is known for their home court edge as evidenced by the few teams that are willing to travel there.  Pardon the pun, but Purdue will be boiling after a close overtime loss to Oklahoma which sent them to 5-1.

Shortly after that Duke visits Ann Arbor to take on a Michigan team they've already faced once in the Coaches for Cancer Classic.  In short, December will be yet another month where Krzyzewski will gauge his team.  And if that month is as successful as November was, then Duke will be in good shape going into the meat of their ACC schedule.

“It’s a great week for us, to go to two established programs on their home courts," said Coach K.

He continued, "Purdue is, I think, the best in the Big Ten, and probably one of the five or six top teams in the country. You know their crowd will make a great setting for us. We have such an opportunity to grow. Michigan – the same thing, John [Beilein] has his team playing comfortable in their style, so I think it’s another great chance for us to grow. Again, when we play Xavier in December, I like the schedule we have because it’s very challenging. That’s how you become a good team, by playing games like that.”

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Duquesne at Duke Game Notes

[private]•  Game 7  •
[7 AP/5 Coaches] Duke (6-0) vs. Duquesne (4-0)
Friday, November 28, 2008  •  3:05 PM ET  •  ESPN
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)  •  Durham, N.C.
 
 
Game Quick Facts
TV: ESPN; Bob Picozzi (play-by-play), Jimmy Dykes (analyst).
 
Radio: Duke Radio Network (flagship WDNC 620 AM in Durham); Bob Harris (play-by-play), John Roth (analyst) and Matthew Laurance (sideline).
 
All-time Series: Duke leads the all-time series 4-1, including a 3-0 mark for the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
 
Coaches:
                                       Mike Krzyzewski
   Overall Record: 809-267 (34th year)
      Duke Record: 736-208 (29th year)
                                   vs. Duquesne: 0-0
 
                                            Ron Everhart
   Overall Record: 205-204 (15th year)
Duquesne Record: 31-32 (third year)
 
 
Blue Devil Bits
l Duke is 6-0 on the year, marking the 31st time in school history and the second straight year it has opened the season with six straight wins. The Blue Devils have started the season with at least six straight wins in six of the last eight years.
l The Blue Devils are ranked seventh in the AP poll and fifth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. Duquesne is unranked in both polls

l The Blue Devils have been ranked in 23 consecutive AP polls.

l Duke is coming off a stretch of four games in eight days. The Blue Devils capped off the eight-day run with a 78-58 win over Montana on Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

l The Blue Devils outrebounded Montana, 42-26, on Sunday. Lance Thomas led the way with eight rebounds, while Brian Zoubek and Gerald Henderson each had seven boards.

l Four Blue Devils scored in double figures against Montana, marking the fifth time in six games Duke has had four double-figure scorers. Gerald Henderson and Nolan Smith led the way with 14 points apiece, while Kyle Singler added 13 and Jon Scheyer had 12 points in the win.

l Sophomores Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith are combining to average 29.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game. Singler has scored in double figures in all six games, while Smith has scored 10 or more points in five of six contests.
 
Numbers Game

l Duke has won 63 straight non-conference home games.

l Duke is 74-27 all-time against teams currently in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Blue Devils have won 12 straight contests
against A10 opponents (last loss was 59-58 versus Temple on Jan. 25, 1996), including an 82-79 win over Rhode Island on Nov. 16. Duke is also scheduled to play Xavier (12/20) this season.

l Duke is 109-16 all-time in the month of November, including a 95-10 mark under Coach K.

l The Blue Devils have won 15 straight games in November and are 46-2 in the month since 1997-98.

l The Blue Devils have won 48 straight home games in November, dating back to a 76-75 double-overtime loss to Vanderbilt on Nov. 28, 1981. Duke is 49-1 under Coach K in November home games.

l Duke is 267-52 this decade, more wins than any other team in the NCAA. The win total already ranks as the ninth-most in any decade by a team in NCAA history.

l Junior Gerald Henderson has scored in double figures in three straight games and is now fourth on the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game. The Merion, Pa., native has led the team in scoring twice this season and nine times in his career.

l Sophomore Nolan Smith is averaging 12.7 points per game, an increase of 6.8 ppg. from last season. Smith has scored in double figures in five of six games and led the team in scoring in two straight contests.

l Sophomore Kyle Singler is averaging 7.7 free throw attempts per game this season. He is 34-of-46 (.739) from the foul line. Last year, Singler averaged just 3.1 free throw attempts per game.

l The Blue Devils have limited five of its six opponents under 60 points. Duke is allowing just 59.0 points per game this season (fifth-best in the ACC).

l The Blue Devils have been efficient inside the three-point line this season, shooting .527 (128-of-243) from inside the arc. They have scored 228 of their 491 total points in the paint and are outscoring the opposition by 17.0 points in the paint per game.

l Kyle Singler leads the Blue Devils in scoring (16.7 ppg.), rebounding (6.8 rpg.) and assists (19). Danny Ferry was the last Blue Devil to lead the team in all three categories during the 1986-87 season.

l Duke has made 40 more free throws than its opponents have attempted this season. The Blue Devils have made more free throws than its opponents have attempted in five of the six games and are outscoring their opponents by 12.9 points per game at the foul line.

l The Blue Devils are fourth in the ACC in scoring margin at +22.8 points per game. Duke has won four of its first six games by 20 or more points.

l Duke has nine players averaging at least 10 minutes played per game. Junior Jon Scheyer is playing a team-high 28.5 mpg., while Kyle Singler is second at 27.7 mpg.

l The Blue Devils have won 115 of its last 117 games vs. unranked non-conference teams in Cameron Indoor Stadium entering Friday’s game with Duquesne.[/private]