NEW YORK—With Jayson Tatum, Marques Bolden, Grayson Allen and Frank Jackson all active Tuesday, one wondered who would do the scoring damage for the Blue Devils.
But through 20 minutes, it has been the same duo that has carried Duke through much of the season.
Led by sophomore Luke Kennard and graduate student Amile Jefferson, the No. 5 Blue Devils hold a 41-31 lead on No. 21 Florida at intermission in the second game of the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. The half was hotly-contested for almost the entire period, but Duke pulled away with a late 13-1 run to take control.
After combining for 55 points Saturday against Maine, Kennard and Jefferson picked up where they left off. Jefferson has 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and eight rebounds against a strong Gator frontcourt, and Kennard added 13 points on 6-of-8 from the floor.
Both sides got off to a sloppy start. The Gators’ full-court zone press forced five early turnovers and held most of Duke's players in check—it was not until nearly the 10-minute mark that a Duke player other than Kennard or Jefferson got on the board.
But after Florida—which entered the game ranked in the top 10 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency as measured by basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy—went more than 12 minutes without a foul, the Blue Devils erupted by consistently finding Kennard and Jefferson.
The Gator offense also got off to a good start as Florida took a 28-26 lead after a KeVaughn Allen 3-pointer, but the Gators went cold late in the period and had nine first-half giveaways. Allen and backcourt mate Kasey Hill led the way for Florida with 17 points combined.
Here are some other observations from the first half:
- The Blue Devils are struggling from long distance once again—they are shooting just 2-of-8 from 3-point range so far.
- Freshman Marques Bolden picked up a pair of quick fouls after coming off the bench and has yet to return to the floor for Duke with Jefferson playing a majority of the minutes down low.
- Classmate Jayson Tatum appears to be still working into a rhythm. The freshman forward got off to another slow start but picked it up late in the half, finishing with six points, four rebounds and two steals.
- Grayson Allen’s struggles at Madison Square Garden have continued after a rough game against then-No. 7 Kansas. As he battles through turf toe, the junior has yet to hit a field goal tonight—the preseason All-American is 0-of-5.
- Former Duke star Kyrie Irving is courtside for Tuesday's game, as his Cleveland Cavaliers take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden Wednesday evening.
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Twitter: @mpgladstone13
A junior from just outside Philadelphia, Mitchell is probably reminding you how the Eagles won the Super Bowl this year and that the Phillies are definitely on the rebound. Outside of The Chronicle, he majors in Economics, minors in Statistics and is working toward the PJMS certificate, in addition to playing trombone in the Duke University Marching Band. And if you're getting him a sandwich with beef and cheese outside the state of Pennsylvania, you best not call it a "Philly cheesesteak."