Duke’s first half against Incarnate Word on Tuesday night wouldn’t win any beauty pageants, but a win is a win for the Blue Devils.
[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and the Blue Devils didn’t earn any style points for their first-half performance against the Incarnate Word Cardinals on Tuesday night, but the Duke men’s basketball team eventually pulled it together for the 72-46 home victory.
After last week’s victories over the Auburn Tigers and Louisville Cardinals, Duke seemed like a runaway train with plenty of track to gain steam before the end of the calendar year. Besides, entering Tuesday’s game, UIW ranked 350th out of 364 teams in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rating, and the Cardinals’ opponents accumulated an effective field goal percentage of 53.8%. If the Blue Devils could drop 84 points on the undefeated Tigers, surely there would be carnage in store at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
But college basketball, in the most predictable fashion possible, remains entirely unpredictable. The Blue Devils took 14 shots from the floor over the first nine minutes and only made four of them, and Duke didn’t break into double-digits until the 13:39 mark of the opening half.
Flagg, fresh off two straight 20-point double-doubles, looked unable to find a rhythm on the offensive end. The 6-foot-9 forward missed six of his eight first-half attempts, including a trio of relatively open 3-pointers, to only put four points on the board through the break. The normally reliable Blue Devils missed the mark on 11 of their 13 triples as Tyrese Proctor and Kon Knueppel combined to go two-for-seven.
Luckily for the Blue Devils, freshman 7-footer [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] showed up to work. The center from South Sudan needed to play a larger role as forward Maliq Brown recovered from a toe injury, and Maluach didn’t shrink from that responsibility. He took advantage of his size all night, rolling toward the rim for lobs and bullying the Cardinals in the pick-and-roll game.
Maluach pulled the Blue Devils ahead through sheer willpower in the final six minutes of the half. He made three baskets and four free throws over the final 6:09 of the half, powering a 12-7 run to create a 28-21 advantage and give Scheyer a little breathing room.
Thankfully for the Cameron Crazies in attendance, the offense seemed to figure something out in the locker room. Maluach made a contested bucket on the opening possession, giving him three more quick points and starting a quick 11-0 run for the home team.
[autotag]Isaiah Evans[/autotag], who took over the first half against the Tigers last week, put on a similar show after the break. The five-star freshman showcased the same fearless shot selection and off-ball movement that haunted Auburn, finding free space on the court and getting 3-pointers off even with hands in his face, for 14 second-half points.
While the offense needed to wake up over the course of the, Duke’s stifling defense never skipped a beat. The Cardinals could have easily taken an early lead if they weren’t getting held to 3/18 from the floor over the first 12 minutes. UIW entered Tuesday’s game making more than 41% of its 3-pointers, but the Blue Devils never gave their opponents the space to breath in a 5/23 (21.7%) display from distance.
Duke, now 8-2 on the season, gets a full week off before a home game against George Mason on December 17.
