HALFTIME: Duke 40, Central Missouri 22

After a slow start, Duke has found a rhythm against Division II opponent Central Missouri.

The Blue Devils lead the Mules 40-22 at halftime from Cameron Indoor Stadium, led by 12 points from freshman Justise Winslow and nine from freshman Jahlil Okafor. Duke misfired on seven of its first nine shots, including several point-blank opportunities. On the other end, Central Missouri senior guard Rakeem Dickerson drilled his first three shots to help the Mules build an early 9-3 advantage.

Duke's second unit fought the Blue Devils back into the game, and a deep 3-pointer from Quinn Cook gave Duke a 14-13 lead with 11:29 left before the break. When Winslow, Jefferson and Okafor returned to the court, Winslow took over, finishing two cuts through the rim for lay-ups and drawing a charge in a one-minute stretch.

After going down 13-7, Duke reeled off 18 unanswered points, with the exclamation point coming on a thunderous dunk by Okafor at the expense of Central Missouri freshman Brad Woodson. From there, the Blue Devils stretched the lead, and Winslow beat the buzzer with a short jumper on a broken play just before halftime.

Here are some observations from the first half:

• Head coach Mike Krzyzewski got away from the five-in, five-out substitution pattern he employed Tuesday against Livingstone. The starting lineup remained unchanged.
• The Blue Devils committed five turnovers in the first half but forced 10 Mule giveaways. Duke's defense had active hands throughout the first half, deflecting passes and dirsupting the Central Missouri offense.
• Against Livingstone, Duke knocked down 15 triples. It's been a much less successful afternoon thus far, as the Blue Devils have made just 2-of-13 attempts.
• The leading returning scorer for the Mules, center Dillon Deck, has not seen any court action.