Second Half:
End of Game - Duke 97, Princeton 60
2:35, Duke 94, Princeton 55
He's been called a "sharp-shooter," and he certainly lived up to that name tonight. Curry scored six points within the span of two minutes, and, though this is his first taste of regular-season action, he looks as comfortable as anybody else in Duke's offense.
9:02, Duke 77, Princeton 41
The Tigers must deeply regret their decision to maintain a zone defense now. On back-to-back possessions, Duke has scored 3-pointers, one by Andre Dawkins, followed closely with one by Nolan Smith. Their dominance over the Tigers has continued without interruption.
We have also been informed that Cal Ripken, Jr. is in attendance. Though we do not know which team the 19-time All-Star selection is cheering for, his light-blue shirt is closer in shade to Duke Blue than it is to Princeton Orange. The Crazies have accepted him as one of their own.
12:36, Duke 63, Princeton 39
Andre Dawkins just hit another three pointer to put this game virtually out of reach for the pesky Tigers. With such a comfortable lead, Coach K is experimenting with a younger lineup, allowing Duke's freshmen and sophomores to get some experience. On the court now are: Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly, Andre Dawkins, Joshua Hairston and Nolan Smith.
In transition, Hairston just dunked the ball to push the lead to 24, to the thundering approval of the Cameron Crazies. For the freshman, it was a big deal, and you could clearly tell from his big smile afterward.
End of First Half:
After the Tigers cut their deficit to six with 1:30 remaining, the Tigers were close to ending the half competitively. However, Nolan Smith responded with a 3-pointer on Duke's next possession. Then, after forcing quickly forcing another Princeton turnover, Kyle Singler scored a 3-pointer of his own to put Duke's lead in the double digits. However, the Blue Devils weren't done. After claiming the ball for the period's final possession, Nolan Smith put up a fadaway that just wouldn't fall. Fortunately, Kyrie Irving grabbed the rebound, forced the foul, and knocked down two free-throws inflate Duke's lead to 14 going into the locker room.
5:17, First Half: Duke 27, Princeton 19
The Princeton Tigers have gotten to the line on each of their last two possessions. They have three team fouls, compared to Duke's six.
7:57, First Half: Duke 20, Princeton 11
Andre Dawkins finally knocks down a three to push the lead to the nine. The Cameron Crazies can let out a sigh of relief, as they were beginning to sense a shift in momentum in Princeton's favor.
9:11, First Half: Duke 17, Princeton 11
Even with three deep-threat options on the floor - Andre Dawkins, Kyrie Irving and Nolan Smith - Duke is unable to take advantage of Princeton's zone defense. Andre Dawkins has missed 3-point attempts during the Blue Devils' last two possessions. Princeton has closed the gap to 6.
12:13, First Half: Duke 15, Princeton 6
Off a Princeton turnover, Nolan Smith threw the ball down court to a speeding Kyle Singler. Though he obviously would not have been able to handle the pass, Singler tried valiantly - even throwing his body into the band. For a second the student body held their breath - they surely do not want Kyle to hurt himself. But then again, Singler has never been one to shy away from a seemingly impossible pass. Duke fans might remember when he flung himself into ESPN's Dick Vitale and Dan Shulman during last year's ACC Tournament.
14:30, First Half; Duke 13, Princeton 6
Coach K made the decision to take the Plumlees out of the lineup, opting instead for Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins. Though a much smaller Duke team, Curry and Dawkins are ready to add a long-range threat to a Blue Devil offense that is not being as dominant as it'd like inside the paint. Interestingly, these are Curry's first official minutes as a Duke basketball player.
16:00, First Half; Duke 10, Princeton 4
Duke seems to completely overwhelm the Princeton defense. While Duke is finding open looks across the paint, the Tigers are being forced to take poor shots, making very few of them. Of note, freshman phenom Kyrie Irving already has five points.
Pre-Game:
Starting Lineups
Duke:
No. 1 Kyrie Irving, Guard, 6-2, 180 lbs
No. 2 Nolan Smith, Guard, 6-2, 185 lbs
No. 5 Mason Plumlee, Forward, 6-10, 240 lbs
No. 12 Kyle Singler, Forward, 6-8, 230 lbs
No. 21 Miles Plumlee, Forward, 6-10, 245 lbs
Princeton:
No. 2 Kareem Maddox, Forward, 6-8, 230 lbs
No. 20 Douglas Davis, Guard, 5-11, 164 lbs
No. 33 Dan Mavraides, Guard, 6-4, 210 lbs
No. 34 Ian Hummer, Forward, 6-7, 226 lbs
No. 44 Brendan Connolly, Center, 6-11, 252 lbs
We have just gotten word that the youngest Plumlee and Duke-recruit, Marshall, is in attendance to see his brothers play and witness the basketball environment in which he might play his collegiate home games.
The campaign to defend Duke's National Championship begins today at 5:00 as the Blue Devils host the Princeton Tigers. The student section is full of Cameron Crazies screaming as loud as ever and donning Vikings helmets in Line Monitor Drew Everson's honor. We'll be back shortly with starting lineups.
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