TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - In the past two years, Duke has not had a go-to player who can take over the game in crunch time.
On Saturday, Gerald Henderson showed that he can be that guy.
And on an afternoon when Jon Scheyer shot just 1-for-7 from the field, Kyle Singler was hampered by a fourth foul in the second half and Greg Paulus played just six minutes, the Blue Devils needed Henderson to come up with a career-high 25 points to hold off a feisty Seminole squad.
"Henderson was a star for us today," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "His athletic ability to create shots for us today was huge."
In a first half that produced scoring more reminiscent of a football game, Henderson single-handedly kept the Blue Devils alive.
After Florida State opened up a 10-5 lead with 12:55 remaining in the first half, the junior forward led the Duke charge, using his defense to create a steal and throw down a dunk on the other end. Following a Lance Thomas free throw, Henderson scored again, driving into the paint and finishing with a layup. Later, during a botched Blue Devil offensive possession, he grabbed the ball several feet beyond the 3-point line with the shot clock winding down. As the clock struck zero, Henderson drilled the long-range shot, running down the floor with his hands in the air.
The trey gave Duke a 17-12 lead and was part of a 12-2 run that gave the Blue Devils control of the game. At halftime, Henderson was the only Duke player to make a field goal besides Singler, whose bucket came on a goaltending call. The junior had as many points as the entire Seminole team in the first half.
"When you go against height and a bigger team, you have to use your quickness," Henderson said. "I was able to come from the wing and make plays in the lane, either the pull-up or get to the rack."
But as important as Henderson was in the first half, his play in the second half was even more critical.
On the Blue Devils' second possession of the second half, Henderson was isolated and took advantage, shaking his defender and sprinting to the rim. Nolan Smith threw a perfect pass, and the junior slammed down the alley-oop. The play seemed to spark Duke, as the offense exploded on a 24-5 run to open the period and take a 46-21 lead.
Florida State eventually clawed its way back in the game, but Henderson came through in the clutch.
He hit a driving layup that barely beat the shot clock with 5:30 left, giving Duke a 53-42 lead. After Florida State turned it over, Henderson swished another jumper to give the Blue Devils a 13-point lead. Then, with just under four minutes remaining in the game, the junior again drove to the paint but dished a perfect pass to Smith, who was subsequently fouled. Smith made both free throws, giving Duke a 57-44 lead, essentially putting the game out of reach.
"Toward the last 15 seconds of the shot clock, we got it in [Henderson's] hands and he produced points for us," Krzyzewski said. "Getting the ball in his hands was the single-most important thing for us."
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