WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Amidst foul trouble for Duke’s guards, center Marshall Plumlee leapt into the spotlight with 18 points. But his career night was not the only story of the evening that produced the Blue Devils’ hard-fought win.
Freshman Luke Kennard put up 15 second-half points—combining with Plumlee for 19 of his team’s final 24 of the game—at a time when Duke needed it most.
After a relatively quiet first half—eight points on three made field goals and two free throws—Kennard broke out in the final 20 minutes, playing a season-high 32 minutes and finishing with 23 points, his second-best scoring night of the season.
Kennard's outburst came at an opportune moment, with Duke's more veteran guards—Matt Jones and Grayson Allen—on the bench at the same time saddled with four fouls apiece, an unsettling situation for the Blue Devils.
“The team came together especially there in the second half when Matt and I were out with foul trouble,” Allen said. “Luke stepped up big for us.”
Duke was scrambling to stay ahead with 16 minutes remaining in the second half after Allen and Jones were both subbed out with four fouls within 30 seconds of one another. Kennard emerged from the media timeout and immediately drained a long jumper, then raced to the other end of the floor to snatch a defensive rebound and give his team another chance to score.
“I knew offensively, we really had to attack, because Grayson and Matt are some key scorers for us,” Kennard said. “[Wake Forest] cut it close, but we still kept that lead.”
The freshman finished the night with five rebounds, which tied classmate Brandon Ingram for second-highest behind Plumlee. Those five boards were crucial in a game where the Blue Devils were outrebounded by nine and allowed 20 second-chance points.
Kennard brought energy to the floor that fired up the Blue Devils whose leaders were stranded on the bench. The Franklin, Ohio, native dove for loose balls, managing a second-half steal that he took in for a layup to put his team up by seven with 10:36 left in the game.
“When Grayson picked up his fourth, I knew he had to come out because there was quite a bit of time left in the game,” Kennard said. “We couldn’t panic…. We just knew we had to attack. We knew we had to make plays.”
The freshman found several opportunities to drive inside and draw contact, earning a game-high nine trips to the charity stripe. Even more than his perfect clip at the line, Kennard's aggressiveness created problems for the Demon Deacons because star forward Devin Thomas was whistled for his fourth foul attempting to stop his penetration.
“I just saw the looks on my teammates' faces, and I knew they weren’t going to let us lose,” Jones said. “Seeing the competitive nature that they have, and knowing that they can really play, it is fun to watch.”
Kennard’s 23 points accounted for all of Duke’s bench points Wednesday. His shooting performance bore similarities to his ACC debut against Boston College last weekend—in both games, the guard shot 7-of-11. The difference Wednesday night came with Kennard’s ability to find inside attempts and make free throws.
When Kennard was not finding ways to get to the basket, he was finding his teammates. The rookie finished with three assists, and his most popular target was Plumlee, whose 14 second-half points changed the course of the game.
“I just know how to be a playmaker for the team,” Kennard said. “Whether that’s get a shot for myself, take it to the basket or dump off to Marshall or kick to Grayson or anybody that was in at that time.”
Just two games into conference play, Kennard has formed a formidable freshman pairing with Ingram—who added 17 points. Combined with seven points from classmate Derryck Thornton, the Blue Devil freshmen have delivered plenty to help Duke survive its first two road games without injured captain Amile Jefferson.
“Our freshmen are growing and maturing,” Allen said. “They were put into a position where they had to, today.”
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