It was over before the second half even started.
No. 4 Duke routed Florida Atlantic 97-64 at Cameron Indoor Stadium Friday night in the first of three games for the Blue Devils in a five-day stretch.
Duke commanded the pace of play throughout the night and did not relent until the closing minutes quickly building on a 23-point halftime lead that left the Owls little chance to compete in the game.
"I thought our guys responded really well from a very quick turnaround from a tough loss against Kansas," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I thought we worked hard, shared the ball, Rodney [Hood] really asserted himself early...[Andre Dawkins] was sharp tonight and really had a good night."
After a lackluster performance against Kansas, redshirt sophomore Rodney Hood led the Blue Devils with 28 points, hitting shots from all over the floor. Hood's follow-up slam to his own missed layup electrified the crowd early in the second half.
Hood scored his 28 points in just 26 minutes of play. The duo of Hood and freshman Jabari Parker combined for 49 points and 13 rebounds proving once again to be the Blue Devils main scoring threats.
The sparkplug for the Blue Devils was redshirt senior guard Andre Dawkins who exploded off the bench for nine points on four 3-point attempts in the first half. Florida Atlantic attempted a zone defense after Hood and Parker drove past defenders attempting to play man-to-man, yet the Owls failed to account for Dawkins, who sat out last season for personal reasons.
"I had a lot of confidence coming in," Dawkins said. "As long as I do the right things when I shoot it and stay disciplined, I think I have a pretty good chance of the ball going in."
Friday was largely Dawkins' unofficial coming out party after his year-long hiatus from the program as he had yet to contribute to a game significantly this season. His 17 points in 19 minutes of play in the game gave Duke the energy it needed to maintain a 30-point lead for the entirety of the second half.
Much to the joy of the Cameron Crazies, Dawkins hit back-to-back 3-pointers at the 2:22 mark in the first half to put Duke up 47-22. Dawkins scored his first points of the season with his first shot from beyond-the-arc with 13:10 left to play in the first half.
"Andre's been a National Champion here," Krzyzewski said. "I thought he's done a great job in dealing with his situation and then staying at Duke, which is what he wanted to do, and being a good teammate and tonight being a major contributor. I would hope he does that every game. He's capable of doing it in a game."
Duke jumped out to an early 12-2 lead due to full-court pressure defense and some early offensive success. From the opening possession, the Blue Devils' full-court press limited the Owl's opportunities to get the ball into the post to 7-foot center Dragan Sekelja.
When Florida Atlantic managed to dump the ball in to Sekelja in the first half, he converted on multiple chance against Duke's smaller inside players in Amile Jefferson, Josh Hairston, and Jabari Parker. Senior guard Pablo Bertone led the Owls in scoring with 14 points in the first half and managed to penetrate past Quinn Cook's strong defense multiple times.
"You have to contain [Sekelja]," Parker said. "You don't want to get fouls because he is so big, takes up a lot of space, but you want to play smart. You don't want to give him positioning because once he gets it then it's almost over. I think we contained him to the best of our abilities."
Defense and rebounding seemed to be a focus from the start for the Blue Devils after getting out-rebounded in past contests this season. At the close of the first half, despite a lack of size inside, Duke grabbed seven more rebounds than Florida Atlantic. Rebounding was a team effort for the Blue Devils who did not rely on one player to chorale loose balls, but rather a cohesive team effort.
"We were more cohesive on defense. We were communicating better on defense. Guys were moving to the ball. We pressured the ball tremendously tonight, and we made it a point of emphasis," sophomore forward Amile Jefferson said. "I think we can get better, and the best part is we have a lot of room for improvement. I don't think this team has come close to reaching it's ceiling."
The Blue Devils held the Owls to a 37 percent field goal percentage and merely 29 points in the first half. The combination of pressure defense and hustle for loose balls gave Duke the opportunity to jump out to an early lead and never look back.
In their first offensive possession of the game, the Blue Devils looked to Hood as they did all night who drove in for an easy layup.
Hood attacked the basket earning and making nine free throw attempts in the first half alone. His 19 points in the half were more than double of the next Duke player—Parker and Dawkins each had nine.
Duke received a significant contribution from Cook who finished the day with eight points, eight assists and six rebounds. His abilities on the defensive end and distributing the ball allowed other Blue Devils to contribute on the court.
"Our team is young together," Krzyzewski said. "There's a lot of growing that needs to take place."
Duke will play its next game Monday at 7 pm against UNC-Asheville in the opening game of the pre-season NIT.
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