NEW YORK - The last time the Blue Devils stepped onto a court with a 2K Sports Classic logo on it, the date was Nov. 11, the opponent was Georgia Southern, the venue was Cameron Indoor Stadium and the number that jumped out of the stat sheet was 25-for-49.
As in, 25-of-49 free throws.
Fifty-one percent.
Not so much Thursday night.
Gerald Henderson and Nolan Smith's thunderous dunks may have capped off Duke's explosive second-half performance, but the Blue Devils' performance at the charity stripe boosted them into the tournament's final Friday.
For the second straight game, Duke shot more than 80 percent from the line, and in the decisive second half, the team was an impressive 25-of-28. The Blue Devils got into the bonus before the 10-minute mark of both halves-Southern Illinois played an aggressive man-to-man defense, limiting open looks at the rim but leading to a high foul count-and Duke's players made those trips to the line count.
"In a game like this, we change our offense when we get close to the bonus where we want to drive more, because it's smart," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "That's what we tried to do today, and our guys stepped up and hit them. We should shoot a good number of free throws if we don't turn the damn thing over, just because we have fresh guys who like to drive."
Solid performances from the line have become typical for Henderson, Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer, all of whom prefer taking the ball to the rim and earning two free shots.
Forward Lance Thomas, however, is often hacked underneath the basket and has had trouble converting free throws into points. The junior was 8-for-8 from the line in Duke's exhibition games, but then hit a cold streak, shooting just 3-of-13 in Duke's first three games of the regular season.
On Thursday, though, Thomas found his form, hitting all six of his free throws in front of a large crew of family and friends from northern New Jersey.
"The first couple of games, I didn't really shoot them that well, whether it was just thinking about them too much or whatever," Thomas said. "In an NBA arena, the rims are tighter, the backdrop is different. We responded to the game pressure, and everyone stepped up."
Thomas wasn't exactly alone in knocking down his attempts. He, Singler, Greg Paulus and freshman Elliot Williams were all perfect from the line, and no Blue Devil missed more than two free throws. Brian Zoubek was one of two Duke culprits to miss two, but the junior center still managed to put together his best game of the season. He scored nine points and grabbed four rebounds in the first half.
And while the Blue Devils didn't need free throws to be their saving grace Thursday-Duke is usually in the clear when Henderson scores 20 points after halftime-they did help keep the team in rhythm and in control of the contest. Even though the Blue Devils were unable to stretch a thin lead into double digits in the first period, free throws kept the Salukis at bay, and Duke's consistency at the line in the second half turned the game into a rout.
"Offensively, once we get in the bonus, our main thing is to keep driving," said Smith, who scored six of his eight points from the line. "Southern Illinois plays hard and really gets out there defensively, and we just wanted to attack them, get some calls and get to the line."
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