HALFTIME: Duke 44, Siena 27

Six minutes into their season opener, Siena hit a jumper and the Blue Devils found themselves in a position not many expected them to be in—trailing.

Then Duke held the Saints scoreless for more than five minutes and rattled off a 13-0 run to put itself back on top.

The No. 5 Blue Devils lead Siena 44-27 after 20 minutes at Cameron Indoor Stadium Friday night in its first action of the season. Freshman point guard Derryck Thornton came off the bench to get the run started with a 3-pointer for the Blue Devils, and sophomore Grayson Allen and senior Amile Jefferson combined for eight straight points to stretch the lead.

In his first career start, Allen was the offensive leader for the Blue Devils. The Jacksonville, Fla., native opened the game at the point guard position—a role that rotated between several Duke guards in the half—and displayed the aggressive slashing style of offense he showcased during last year’s national championship run. Allen excited the crowd with a few monster dunks, and finished the half with a game-high 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting—including a perfect 6-for-6 mark from the line and 2-of-4 clip from deep.

Jefferson and tri-captain Matt Jones both returned to the starting lineup after nursing injuries in the preseason. Jones sat out the entire Livingstone exhibition with a sore groin, and Jefferson exited after five minutes due to an apparent ankle sprain. Neither player appeared to be hindered on the court, and Jefferson was particularly active on the glass—leading the team with six rebounds and adding 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting.

Here are some observations from the first half:

• Friday’s contest marked the first career starts for graduate student Marshall Plumlee, sophomore Grayson Allen and freshman Brandon Ingram.
• Ingram looked at home in his debut, hitting a nice turnaround jumper early on for his first bucket and remaining active on defense throughout the half. The Kingston, N.C., native finished with six points on 3-of-6 shooting in the first 20 minutes.
• Siena forward Javion Ogunyemi found early success against Plumlee and the rest of the Blue Devil bigs down low, scoring seven of the Saints’ first 11 points.
• The Blue Devils went with their traditional man defense after experimenting with a few zone looks during the preseason. Duke showed a 1-3-1 look partway through the period.
• Point guard Marquis Wright picked up two quick fouls for Siena and had to sit for a good portion of the half. Wright led the team in assists last season and is the Saints’ leading returning scorer, but finished the half with just five points and three fouls.
• Freshmen Luke Kennard and Derryck Thornton came off the bench for Duke after the first timeout, replacing Jones and Jefferson. Ingram moved to the four spot.
• Duke trailed for the first time after a Siena jumper gave the Saints a 15-13 edge six minutes in, but the Blue Devils responded with a 13-0 run to retake the lead, holding Siena scoreless for five straight minutes.
• The Blue Devils reached the double bonus with nine minutes left in the half. As a team, they shot 13-of-16 from the line.
• The new 30-second shot clock did not appear to have an impact on the game, as both teams pushed the ball up the court frequently and did not commit any shot clock violations.