After eking out a close 75-70 win against Wake Forest Wednesday night, the Blue Devils (19-2, 6-2 in the ACC) traveled to Tallahassee, Fla. to take on Florida State (12-9, 4-4). In convincing fashion, Duke defeated the Seminoles 79-60.
Here’s your postgame recap:
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
- High scoring output from the seniors: Seth Curry matched his 21-point performance against Wake Forest with 21 points against the Seminoles. Mason Plumlee, however, had a relatively quiet game with just eight points. Sophomore Quinn Cook and freshmen Rasheed Sulaimon and Amile Jefferson picked up the slack with 18, 14 and 11 points, respectively.
- Taking care of the ball: The Blue Devils turned the ball over 10 times today, compared to 15 times against the Demon Deacons. Plumlee, who coughed it up seven times against Wake Forest, had just two turnovers this afternoon. Sophomore Alex Murphy didn't take good care of the ball off the bench, turning it over three times in just 13 minutes of play.
- Fighting fatigue: In its second road trip in four days, Duke exhibited no signs of fatigue. The Blue Devils jumped out to an 18-2 lead in the first 5:39 of play and held onto to their commanding lead over the course of the game. If they were tired, they sure weren't showing it.
Three key plays:
- 18:55, first half: Plumlee was the first person to score in today's matchup. His layup, assisted by Jefferson, kicked off Duke's 18-2 run and set the tone for a dominant performance by the Blue Devils, who did a great job of sharing the ball.
- 17:54, second half: Florida State junior Okaro White ended Duke's 8-0 run with an alley-oop, making the score 50-24. By this point the game already seemed pretty well in hand for the Blue Devils.
- 8:33, second half: Curry made a contested three-point jumper with a hand in his face, frustrating the Seminoles' defense. Curry's triple gave Duke a 70-45 lead.
Three key stats:
- Duke's 60.8 field-goal percentage: Duke went 31-for-51 from the field, hitting 11 of 18 three-point attempts. The Blue Devils' field-goal percentage against Florida State was significantly higher than their average field-goal percentage of 46.7.
- The Blue Devils' 20 assists: Duke shared the ball remarkably well against the Seminoles. The Blue Devils dished out 20 assists, compared to their average 14.7 assists-per-game. Quinn Cook led the team with six helpers and Tyler Thornton added five off the pine.
- Duke's 23 rebounds: The Seminoles' roster features three seven-footers. In spite of this and Mason Plumlee's first half foul trouble, the Blue Devils outrebounded Florida State 23-21.
And the Duke game ball goes to … Quinn Cook. In addition to scoring 18 points, the point guard handed out six assists and turned the ball over only once. The point guard also buried four of his six three-point attempts this afternoon.
And the Florida State game ball goes to … Aaron Thomas. The freshman provided a spark off the bench for the Seminoles, leading the team with 14 points. Thomas was the only Seminole to score in double figures against a stifling Duke defense.
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