Five observations from Duke men's basketball's first half against Georgia Tech

<p>Zion Williamson led the Blue Devils' effort to break the zone in the first half.</p>

Zion Williamson led the Blue Devils' effort to break the zone in the first half.

In an ugly defensive struggle, Duke trails Georgia Tech 29-27 at halftime in a game marked by poor shooting and turnovers on both ends of the floor. Tre Jones was back in the starting lineup for the Blue Devils in his first game back since injuring his right shoulder in Duke’s loss to Syracuse last week. 

Player of the Half

Although Duke started the game slow offensively, Zion Williamson carried the Blue Devils through a tough shooting stretch in the first half, dropping 10 points and grabbing four rebounds in what has been a defense-driven game.  

Tre’s Back

Playing in his first game since injuring his shoulder in Duke’s loss to Syracuse last week, Tre Jones was a welcome sight for Blue Devils fans who missed his ability to take care of the ball and play lock-down defense on the other end. Jones, who was wearing a protective padded shirt under his jersey, wasn’t a huge factor on the offensive end but was crucial defensively in a half where points were hard to come by for both teams. 

Georgia Tech Zone

The Blue Devils got off to a slow start offensively against Georgia Tech’s zone defense, scoring just eight points in the first eight minutes of the contest. Duke’s struggles were driven in large part by an ice-cold 1-for-12 shooting from downtown, as well as seven turnovers. Jack White and Cam Reddish combined to go 0-for-4 from deep. 

Duke’s Defense

Having Tre Jones back in the lineup immediately paid dividends on the defensive end, as Duke forced turnovers on the Yellow Jackets’ first two possessions. The Blue Devils held Georgia Tech to an anemic 38.2 percent shooting percentage from the field. Williamson, Marques Bolden and Antonio Vrankovic, who came off the bench early in the contest, helped keep the Yellow Jackets out of the paint and force them to take more 3-pointers, on which they shot just 29 percent. 

R.J. Picking Up 

Although he got off to a slow start to the game, R.J. Barrett made his presence felt in the closing minutes of the half, finishing with 10 points. He committed four turnovers himself in the first ten minutes of the half and couldn’t buy a bucket from deep, but by the end of the half began driving to the basket more and having more success offensively.

New Look off the Bench for Duke

Antonio Vrankovic came off the bench early for the Blue Devils, marking a shift away from Javin DeLaurier, who struggled against Pitt on Tuesday night. Jack White and Alex O’Connell have been quiet from the field, and Jordan Goldwire, who gave Jones an early breather, has also been a non factor so far. 

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