Over the next three weeks, The Blue Zone will be counting down the top five performances from each of Duke’s graduating seniors during their collegiate careers. This week, we start with forward Ryan Kelly.
The dates: January 7, 2012
The game: Duke 81, Georgia Tech 74
Cook helps Duke hold off Georgia Tech in first start
Kelly statline: Coming off the bench, Kelly scored a career-high (to date) 21 points, shooting 75.0% from the field. The junior forward was perfect from the free throw line, shooting 14-for-14 from the stripe.
The breakdown: After a tough road loss to Temple, the Blue Devils needed to earn their first hostile-site road win in Atlanta to start the ACC season off on the right note. The 6-foot-11 Kelly did not earn the starting nod, but his number was quickly called. Kelly made an immediate impact—attacking the basket in tandem with teammate Quinn Cook.
Led by Kelly and Cook, Duke shot out to a 32-14 lead, and Coach Krzyzewski quickly realized he had a good thing going in the Raleigh, N.C. native. Despite coming off of the pine, the forward still managed to log 27 minutes for the game.
But Duke's hot offense did not last, and Glen Rice Jr.'s efforts trimmed the Yellow Jackets' deficit to two with 4:18 remaining. Thankfully for the Blue Devils, however, Ryan Kelly's immaculate touch from the line ended any chance of a comeback.
The junior was fouled four times in the final minute, but he knocked down his free throws with ease. Georgia Tech, on the other hand, struggled from the line shooting 12-for-19; Kelly made more free throws than the Yellow Jackets did as a team.
Just three days after a disappointing loss to Temple, Duke's shaky offense almost resulted in a second upset. As fellow juniors Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins had underwhelming performances, Kelly stepped up to anchor the Blue Devils.
The quote: “Our best play was to say, ‘Mason, if they score get it into Ryan,’” Krzyzewski said. “That’s the best play I called all day.”
Previous Kelly performances:
No. 5: Kelly scores 20 points against Wake Forest
No. 4: Kelly wins MVP at the Maui Invitational
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