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 continue with guard Seth Curry.
No. 3: Curry pours in career-high 31 to defeat Santa Clara
The date: December 29, 2012
The game: Duke 90, Santa Clara 77
Curry statline: A Duke-career-high 31 points—18 in the second half—on 12-of-18 shooting, including four 3-pointers. Curry also added three rebounds and an assist.
The breakdown: Things did not come as easily for No. 1 Duke against Santa Clara as the team expected, which set the stage for Seth Curry to have one of his most memorable games as a Blue Devil.
Playing for the first time in nine days due to the holiday vacation, Duke trailed for a large portion of the first half, and when the team was able to gain some separation and take a lead, the Broncos came storming back. The Blue Devils led by just two after the first 20 minutes of play.
For both teams, the second half was about getting the ball to their best scorers—Curry for Duke and Kevin Foster for Santa Clara.
With Mason Plumlee monopolizing the attention of the Santa Clara defense, Curry went to work. The senior guard had success both from beyond the arc and in getting into the paint, knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and three layups during a 26-5 Blue Devil run.
When the final buzzer sounded, Curry had set a new scoring high as a Blue Devil and Duke withstood the tough test given to them by the Broncos.
The quote: “We all know he’s capable of going for 30, it’s just nice to see him do that,” senior center Mason Plumlee said.
Previous Curry performances:
No. 5: Curry leads comeback against North Carolina
No. 4: Curry leads the way as Krzyzewski wins No. 903
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.