Tre Jones made his return to the rotation against Boston College, and helped his team jump out to a 45-19 lead heading into the halftime locker room. The Eagles could not handle Matthew Hurt or Vernon Carey Jr. Here are five observations from the opening half:
Tre returns triumphantly
After missing the past two games with a mild foot sprain, Tre Jones made his return to the starting lineup. He had trouble finding the net early on, missing his first four shots—including an airball three—before discovering his shot for five points. The sophomore point guard made up for subpar shooting with his passing and hustle plays, en route to six assists, four rebounds and one steal in the first half.
Thornton comes back to Duke
The last time Derryck Thornton played at Cameron Indoor Stadium, he was wearing blue and white. The Eagles' point guard played at Duke for the 2015-16 season before transferring to Southern California, then transferring to Boston College for his graduate season. Despite scoring the first basket of the game, Thornton struggled from the field, scoring just four points in the period.
3-point shooting
In Duke’s last matchup against Brown, the team came within minutes of breaking a 1,070-game streak of making at least one 3-pointer, but Alex O'Connell kept the streak alive. There was nothing to worry about tonight, as O'Connell made a triple for Duke's first basket of the game. Even though Matthew Hurt hit another three minutes later, the Blue Devils were cold from deep, taking 15 shots and only draining six.
Everybody eats
Duke may not have been able to can many deep shots, but the team made up for it with a balanced scoring effort in the first half. Seven Blue Devils scored at least one basket and Hurt led the way with 20 points.
Player of the half: Matthew Hurt
Hurt made a three early in the game and converted three layups to lead the Blue Devils offensively. He didn't look afraid to shoot, taking 11 shots in the half. The freshman forward also secured three rebounds, including an offensive board which led to a putback layup.
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Jake Satisky is a Trinity senior and the digital strategy director for Volume 116. He was the Editor-in-Chief for Volume 115 of The Chronicle.