Though Duke had already built a large lead against Wofford, Cameron Indoor Stadium didn't truly come alive Thursday night until Joey Baker hit his fourth and fifth 3-pointers of the night late in the second half, crushing any slim hope Wofford had to stage a comeback.
Baker's 22 points and five 3-pointers both marked career highs for the sophomore wing. His pair of triples with less than 10 minutes remaining sparked the crowd to start cheering "JOEY."
“It was awesome," Baker said after the game when asked about the cheering. "I didn’t really notice it too much. I heard it for a second, but I was on to the next defensive possession.”
After a quiet first half in which all five of his points came from the free throw line, Baker did most of his damage in the closing 20 minutes. He scored 17 points in the second half, including all five of his treys.
The Fayetteville, N.C., native thrived on open looks generated from the defense collapsing into the middle—where Vernon Carey was dominating—and timely assists from the likes of Jordan Goldwire and Wendell Moore, who both filled in at point guard in Tre Jones' absence. Goldwire found him open three times, so Baker returned the favor with five minutes remaining, dishing an assist to the junior guard for a 3-pointer of his own.
Baker wasn't shocked that he caught fire against Wofford.
“When I get going, it’s not really surprising to me,” he said.
For Baker, this game was the culmination of a season and a half's work. He was supposed to redshirt his freshman year, but head coach Mike Krzyzewski burned his redshirt by playing him five minutes in a game against Syracuse. After only playing 18 total minutes last year, he was one of the biggest question marks on the team coming into this season.
Krzyzewski didn't play Baker in Duke's opening game against Kansas—despite what the box score said—but Baker has gradually earned more playing time and responsibility within the offense. In the four games since Baker played only three minutes in the Blue Devils' loss to Stephen F. Austin, he has averaged nearly 20 minutes and more than 12 points per game.
“In September, I wasn’t sure how much Joey could play," Krzyzewski said. "Joey has come every day in practice, and he shoots game shots even when he’s just shooting, and he’s become our quickest and most accurate shooter.”
Baker attributed his newfound success to simply putting in the time to get better.
"I’ve just been staying in the gym," he said. "I work a lot with [assistant coach Chris Carrawell] on weaknesses and trying to improve on those areas."
Krzyzewski praised Baker for his commitment to improving his game. He told the crowd of reporters at the post-game press conference that if any of them had come early enough to the game, they would have seen Baker putting up shots at 5 p.m.
“He comes early all the time," Krzyzewski added. "He’s in the gym all the time. There’s the expression, trust your work. He’s got a lot to trust, and his teammates see that.”
Correction: Baker has averaged more than 12 points a game since Stephen F. Austin, not more than 15. The Chronicle regrets the error.
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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.