Halftime: Duke 47, Wake Forest 47

In their last game, the Blue Devils struggled to reach 20 points in the first half against the nation's best scoring defense.

They easily more than doubled that output Saturday afternoon in the opening period, but still find themselves in another dogfight.

No. 12 Duke is tied with Wake Forest 47-47 at the break at Cameron Indoor Stadium, with both teams starting the game hot from the field and never relenting thanks to subpar defense on both ends of the court. So far the Blue Devils have struggled to contain Wake Forest on the interior, as Demon Deacon star forward John Collins leads all scorers with 16 points through the first half of play. 

Duke got a balanced scoring effort highlighted by rookie Jayson Tatum's 10 points in a back-and-forth half featuring 14 lead changes and seven ties. The Blue Devils are shooting 62.1 percent from the field and 7-of-14 from long range but still are tied because of their inability to stop Wake Forest. 

With neither team being able to string together a consistent set of stops, similar to Duke's 85-83 win n Winston-Salem, N.C., earlier this year, the second half will likely come down to which defense can stiffen late.

The Blue Devils are aiming for their seventh straight win. 

Here are some observations from the first half:

• Bryant Crawford appeared to come up hurt for Wake Forest early in the first half, but the sophomore returned to action in short order and finished the period with 12 points and a pair of 3-pointers.
• Mike Krzyzewski has opted to mix both big and small lineups throughout the game, playing Marques Bolden alongside Tatum in an effort to neutralize bigger lineups by the Demon Deacons. Bolden had six points in the opening half with fellow rookie Harry Giles battling foul trouble so far.
• Grayson Allen was held scoreless for most of the period before connecting on a long 3-pointer. The junior has five points and three of his team's 11 assists. 
• Former Duke stars Mason Plumlee, Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and 2015 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Tyus Jones are in attendance for Saturday's game.