Over the past two weeks, The Blue Zone has been counting down the top five performances from each of Duke’s graduating seniors during their collegiate careers. This week, we conclude with forward Mason Plumlee.
No. 4: Plumlee sets career highs in points and blocks against Marquette
The date: November 22, 2010
The game: Duke 82, Marquette 77
Plumlee statline: 25 points on 12-for-16 shooting, 12 rebounds—including six on the offensive glass—and five blocks.
The breakdown: Duke's shots from 3-point land were simply not falling. And for a team that often lives and dies by its long-range shooting, a 6-of-18 performance normally is a recipe for disaster.
But as the Blue Devils struggled, they looked inside to a sophomore Mason Plumlee to carry the load—he did more than just answer the call. Plumlee led the Blue Devils with 25 points, 12 boards and five blocks—setting career highs in scoring and swats—but more importantly, helped his team surge past the Golden Eagles after Duke had squandered a 12-point second-half lead.
Marquette had fought back to tie the game at 55-55 with 11 minutes remaining in the contest, but Plumlee made a layup in traffic to give the Blue Devils back the lead. Plumlee scored 14 of his 25 points in the final 11 minutes of the game.
After Jae Crowder scored to tie the game again, Plumlee helped spark Duke on a 9-0 run when he pulled down an offensive rebound and kicked the ball out to Nolan Smith for a 3-pointer, giving the Blue Devils a lead it would never relinquish.
Plumlee capped off the Duke run with a dunk in transition after a Kyrie Irving steal and an easy lay-in on his team's next trip down the floor.
It was just the spark the Blue Devils needed to surge past the upset-minded Golden Eagles.
The quote: “Mason obviously was outstanding,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “We got him the ball and he made some great moves down there, just simply great moves.”
Previous Plumlee performances:
No. 5: Plumlee records double-double in Maui win against Kansas
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