Beyond the arc: Duke basketball vs. Drury

In their second and final exhibition game of the season, the Blue Devils again struggled on both ends of the court for much of the first half, but used strong second half defense and rebounding to defeat Drury 81-65 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, outscoring the Panthers by 20 points in the second half.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Duke will need to start hitting shots from beyond the arc: The Blue Devils struggled once again from the beyond the arc, going only 1-of-7 from 3-point range in the first half. Duke was more efficient from downtown in the second half, going 5-of-15, but still only finished the game 6-of-22, a meager 27.3 percent for a team that will need to improve from beyond the arc to contend this season.
  

• The Blue Devils need to perform with a rare height advantage: Duke was unable to take advantage of its size in the first half as both Drury and Duke finished with 21 rebounds, but the Blue Devils eventually utilized their height advantage in the second half. Sophomore forward Amile Jefferson controlled the paint in the final 20 minutes, finishing with 13 points and 16 rebounds, eight of which were offensive—his energy in the paint allowed Duke to pull away. For much of the game, though, the Panthers were able to secure box-outs and limit Duke's effectiveness inside.
  

• On the defensive end, the Blue Devils must shut down the Panthers' offense: Duke was able to shut down Drury's offense in the second half after picking up its intensity and energy, but often struggled to find Drury's shooters in the first half and gave up nine offensive rebounds, allowing the Panthers to put up 38 points. Though the Blue Devils have a very versatile team, Drury's ability to spread the floor and drive to the basket and kick out to shooters gave Duke fits. The Blue Devils improved their communication on the defensive end in the second half and were able to shut down the Panthers as a result, but Duke's defensive performance was also a tale of two halves.
  

Three key plays:

• 11:30, first half: Freshman forward Semi Ojeleye throws down a thunderous put-back slam to tie the game at 15 after one of many missed 3-pointers for Duke in the first half. This was one of the few highlights for Duke in the first half and also foreshadowed the second half. Duke's ability to crash the offensive glass and convert around the rim allowed them to pull away.

• 16:04, second half: Senior forward Josh Hairston takes Duke's first and only charge of the game and swings momentum with the Blue Devils trailing by one. Hairston's charge taken epitomized the increased level of defensive intensity for Duke in the second half. While the Blue Devils seemed to be lost and chasing the Panthers for much of the first half, Duke was much more prepared for the final 20 minutes. Hairston was firmly planted in the paint waiting for Drury guard Wendell Pierre's attack to the basket and took the charge squarely in the chest as he does so often, earning a valuable extra possession for the Blue Devils.

• 5:31, second half: Freshman guard Matt Jones nails a 3-pointer after great ball movement to put the Blue Devils up by 15 points and essentially put the game away. Because of sophomore guard Rasheed Sulaimon's illness, Jones saw extra playing time and took advantage in the second half, making timely plays such as this one to help Duke prevail.
  

Three key stats:

• Duke shoots 53.6 percent from the free throw line and 27.3 percent from 3-point range. The 3-point woes for the Blue Devils have already been touched on, but Duke went 15-of-28 from the charity stripe after getting into the bonus quickly in both halves. Poor shooting from the free throw line prevented Duke from blowing the game open and rewarded Drury for playing extremely physically given their lack of size. The good news for Duke is that they were still able to put up 81 points while shooting so poorly.

• Duke secures 20 offensive rebounds and forces 17 turnovers. Extra possessions are key in college basketball, and the extra possessions the Blue Devils were able to obtain allowed them to compensate for their offensive inefficiency. It will be interesting to see if the Blue Devils can continue to crash the offensive glass with their length and athleticism against bigger competition.

• Amile Jefferson commits zero personal fouls. The sophomore forward was huge for Duke in the second half with his interior play and though Drury did not challenge Duke in the paint very often, for Jefferson to play 21 minutes without committing a foul is a huge statistic after he struggled to play defense without fouling a season ago.
  

And the Duke game ball goes to... Rodney Hood

While his teammates looked lethargic on the offensive end for most of the first half, redshirt sophomore forward Rodney Hood did not, quickly scoring the first basket of the game for Duke and often carrying the team offensively with his timely shooting, penetration and passing. He finished with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists. Although the rest of the Blue Devils picked up their offensive efficiency in the second half, Hood's steady play facilitated Duke's 81 point effort.

And the Drury game ball goes to... Cameron Adams

Drury's only true starting forward had a tremendous game against Duke, scoring 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, grabbing five rebounds and showing impressive finishing ability against the larger Blue Devils. Adams, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, had a powerful dunk with 11:52 left in the first half that showed everyone in Cameron Indoor Stadium that the Panthers were not going to be handed their first loss since January 5th without a fight. He played tremendous defense as well, often having to defend and block out freshman forward Jabari Parker and Jefferson. His strong play helped keep the Panthers in the game until Duke pulled away late.