NEW YORK - Greg Paulus had a career-high 20 points-plus five stitches on his
chin-and Josh McRoberts had his first double-double of the season, as Duke
defeated Gonzaga, 61-54, Thursday night in the Aéropostale Classic at Madison
Square Garden.
Paulus, who had to leave the game briefly in the second half after injuring
himself with a dive into press row, was also 4-for-6 from behind the arc and
committed only one of Duke's season-low six turnovers.
The sophomore received the stitches after the game to fix a cut on his
chin-suffered when he collided with the courtside press table.
"Paulus had his best game of his career," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
"He played with such verve."
After a sloppy first half, in which the two teams combined to miss 42 shots, both
squads came out firing in the second, trading quick baskets on the first few
possessions of the period. Jon Scheyer and McRoberts, who were held to two
points each in the first half, scored 12 and nine points respectively in the
second.
The Bulldogs held the Blue Devil offense in check in the first half, as Duke
shot only 22.6 percent from the field. McRoberts' lone first half points-a
dunk with just under three minutes remaining-ended a field-goal drought of
nearly eight minutes and came during a stretch in which Gonzaga went on a 17-4
run. The forward finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Duke, however, was able to remain in the game in the first half, holding Gonzaga
to only a slightly better 35.7 percent mark from the field. The Blue Devils
closed the half with a 10-0 run of their own, taking a 20-19 lead on DeMarcus
Nelson's three-pointer with just over a minute remaining. Derek Raivio's
jumper from the foul line on the Bulldogs' next possession put Gonzaga up
21-20 at the half.
Krzyzewski attributed his team's slow start to the fact that it was starting the offense too far away from the basket. The Blue Devils usually use the three-point line as a starting point, but since the game was played in an NBA arena, the NBA three-point line was mistakenly used as a reference.
"We played really well in the first half, even offensively, until we got to
the shot," Krzyzewski said. "Our guys were too far out, that's why a few
of our shots that we took in the first half were so short. It's a young team;
that sounds like it wouldn't happen but believe me those things happen."
Despite the team's offensive struggles, Duke once again put forth a solid
defensive effort. Gonzaga leading scorer Derek Raivio was held to a season-low
four points, and did not get off a shot attempt in the second half. The senior
came into the game averaging over 20 points per game.
Scheyer and Nelson were responsible for Raivio, constantly chasing him around
the court and failing to allow him opportunity to face the basket when he
received the ball.
"He's the best shooter we've played against," Krzyzewksi said. "As key
as anything in the win tonight was our defense of him."
Nelson, Duke's leading scorer coming into the game, was in foul trouble
throughout the contest and fouled out with just over four minutes remaining
with his team leading 48-44. The Blue Devils, however, would not allow Gonzaga
to get any closer, and hit nine of 10 free throws down the stretch to keep the
Bulldogs at bay.
NOTES: Although the game was played at a neutral site, the crowd at the Garden
was overwhelmingly in favor of Duke. A few thousand fans clad in Gonzaga red
did make the trip to New York, however. "It is an honor to always be
associated with a game in Madison Square Garden," Krzyzewski said. "It is
an amazing place.".... Jeremy Pargo led the Bulldogs with 21 points, 17 of
which came in the second half.
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