Duke may be looking to go out of 2014 with a solid win, but the Terriers are refusing to play dead through the first 20 minutes.
The Blue Devils lead Wofford 41-34 through one half of play, but the Terriers are giving Duke all it can handle. Justise Winslow leads all scorers with 16 points and has added five rebounds in the first half.
Early on, it was apparent that the Terriers were set on double-teaming Duke's Jahlil Okafor, as the Blue Devil center was hounded by two Wofford defender every time he touched the ball down low. This opened up the floor for other Duke players and gave them more room to work. The only issue—the Blue Devils can't knock down their shots.
Duke is shooting 43 percent from the field in the first half, though that number is strongly bolstered by the combined 10-of-17 performance from Winslow and Okafor. The rest of the team is shooting just 2-of-11.
The Terriers, on the other hand, have been money from behind the arc. Wofford entered the game as the 19th-best 3-point shooting team in the nation—the Terriers knock down 40.4 percent of their long balls—and it has shown through 20 minutes. Wofford is shooting 57 percent from long range, knocking down 4-of-7 led by Karl Cochran's two triples.
Wofford committed 21 turnovers in its last outing against West Virginia and seems to be on track to a much-improved performance, as the Terriers have given up just five giveaways thus far.
The Blue Devils, however, are winning the turnover battle, as they have allowed two turnovers and have picked up six points off the Terriers mistakes.
But the biggest battle Duke needed to win is the battle in the paint. Against Toledo Monday, the Blue Devils let up 38 points in the paint, and though they are not allowing the Terriers to dominate down low—Duke is out-scoring them 16-8 in the paint—the Blue Devils are struggling on the boards, as Wofford has scrapped its way to trail Duke just 20-19.
Wofford has been shooting the lights out and Duke will need to slow the Terriers down from downtown. Heading into the second half, expect another impassioned defensive performance from the Blue Devils similar to Monday's outing against Toledo.
Here are some observations from the first half:
- Okafor stands at least a full head taller than every Wofford player on the court, but the big man has not been able to get the same kind of production as he did Monday, as the Terriers are double-teaming him and forcing him to pass out of the post.
- Wofford is a scrappy, small team, but the Terriers have been far from intimidated thus far. They've chased down two Blue Devils—Matt Jones and Justise Winslow—to swat their shot on breakaway layups, though a foul was called on the Winslow swat.
- Winslow is the only Duke player that seems to be taking full advantage of his physical advantage, as the 6-foot-6 swingman is bullying the smaller Wofford defenders in the paint.
- It also helps that Winslow's been the Blue Devils' biggest threat from long range, as he is 2-of-3 from downtown.
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