Duke basketball dominates Livingstone 115-58 in first exhibition game

In its first action of the season against outside competition, Duke did just what was expected of it Tuesday night—dominate Livingstone.

The Blue Devils received a major boost from their freshmen and sophomore guard Matt Jones as No. 4 Duke rolled past the Blue Bears 115-58 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Tuesday's exhibition allowed Duke fans and the Blue Devil staff their first look at the 2014-15 squad against an actual opponent, and though it came at the expense of Division II Livingstone, it did not take long to see the team's potential.

"We were pleased about tonight. I thought our effort was outstanding," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "They enjoyed playing with one another tonight, good effort, and now we need to come back on Saturday and build."

By the time the first 20 minutes had passed, the Blue Devils found themselves with a 56-14 lead and an unexpected offensive leader.

Sophomore Matt Jones got off to a hot start, scoring eight points in the first five minutes, including a pair of 3-pointers. He was not done there, however, as he would finish the game with 17 points—including an impressive first-half showing in which he was 4-of-4 from long range. This comes after a disappointing rookie campaign in which he hit just three treys throughout the season.

"[Jones] puts in the extra reps and he puts in the time, and that's what it takes," junior Amile Jefferson said. "He has the right mindset. He doesn't get down on himself when he's missing—he has a shooter's mentality. He misses one, he forgets it and the next one's going in."

The Blue Devils employed a platoon system Tuesday night, as Jones, Jefferson and freshmen Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow—who led all scorers with 19 points—got the start for the Blue Devils.

They were then replaced by senior Quinn Cook, junior Rasheed Sulaimon, freshman Grayson Allen, sophomore Semi Ojeleye and redshirt junior Marshall Plumlee. The two units rotated in and out every five minutes throughout the first half.

Cook, Ojeleye, Allen and Jefferson all also hit double-digits in scoring. Allen, who had just two points in the first half, found his shooting stroke in the second period, going 3-of-4 from long range to finish with 15 points. Many of the shots taken by Matt Jones and Allen were opened up by kick-outs from Okafor while he was being double-teamed, leaving the team's shooters with space to set up around the arc.

"We shot the ball well—we hit 15 threes," Krzyzewski said. "We didn't have to go into Jah as much because it was spread out a little bit. There's more room to drive and kick and if they do double-team, he can pass out of there."

The Blue Bears—who made the two-hour trip from Salisbury, N.C.—were led by guard Cornelius Johnson, who scored a team-high 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Center Shawn Jackson finished the game with seven points and three rebounds.

Duke's defense loosened its grip early in the second half, allowing 12 points in the opening 4:45 and 44 overall after allowing Livingstone to score just 14 in the first 20 minutes.

"You're not going to hold people for 14 points," Krzyzewski said. "I didn't think we started out the second half with the same intensity. You're up by 40 points at halftime—or whatever we were up—and that can happen. But I thought we regained it and played really hard."

The Blue Devils will play again Saturday, as they return to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on Central Missouri at 1 p.m.