DURHAM, N.C. — No. 7 Duke showed a few minutes of sloppiness before suffocating South Carolina Upstate with its array of defensive looks Friday night.
After seeing the upstart Spartans score the game’s first seven points, the Blue Devils ripped off scoring runs of 11 and 14 points in the first half to open a 25-point halftime lead and roll to a 84-38 nonconference basketball win at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Rapidly racking up steals and blocked shots, the Blue Devils (2-0) limited South Carolina Upstate (1-1) to 27.8% shooting from the field while the Spartans turned the ball over 23 times. Duke blocked seven shots and recorded 15 steals.
Kyle Filipowski led Duke in scoring with 15 points as the Blue Devils saw five players score in double figures. Mark Mitchell scored 13 while Jacob Grandison scored 12 points in a reserve role. Starters Ryan Young (11 points) and Jeremy Roach (10 points) also reached double figures.
The Blue Devils, after trailing 7-0, scored 14 consecutive points. That was part of a 39-9 explosion that turned the game lopsided and allowed Duke to lead 43-18 at halftime.
Along the way, 7-1 freshman center Dereck Lively made his season debut for the Blue Devils. The nation’s No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class, Lively missed Duke’s 71-44 season-opening win over Jacksonville on Monday due to a strained right calf muscle.
Here’s what we learned from Duke’s second consecutive win under first-year head coach Jon Scheyer:
Hello Dereck Lively
Duke’s medical staff took a cautious approach before clearing Lively to return to play for the Blue Devils. He injured his calf muscle in practice four weeks ago, delaying his debut.
He didn’t start against South Carolina Upstate, but entered the game with 15:57 left in the first half and scored the first four points of his career on two dunks, one on a nifty screen-and-roll play off a pass from Roach.
Projected as a lottery pick in next summer’s NBA draft, Lively played 15 minutes, scoring four points with two rebounds.
In a couple of stretches, Duke had Lively and Filipowski, his fellow 7-foot freshman center, on the court together, just as the two big men had expected when they committed to play at Duke this season.
Regarding his injury, the only scary moment for Lively and Duke fans came late in the first half. Lively successfully defended Jordan Gainey’s shot attempt in the lane and grabbed a defensive rebound with 58 seconds left until halftime. He began favoring his right leg and immediately pointed to the bench for a substitution.
Scheyer inserted Ryan Young into the game and Lively began receiving medical attention on bench. Duke’s head men’s basketball trainer, Jose Fonseca, helped Lively stretch the calf muscle out with a resistance band.
After halftime, Lively jogged on to the court with his teammates, showing no ill-effects from the incident. He returned to the game with 16:06 remaining.
Roach shows leadership
Duke’s first two possessions ended the same way, with Roach losing the ball on steals and South Carolina Upstate sinking breakaway layups on the other end.
The Blue Devils’ captain, though, settled down quickly and so did his team.
Roach finished the first half with eight points and six assists, fueling the run that put the Blue Devils up by 25 points at halftime.
After those early miscues, he didn’t turn the ball over the rest of the game.
Filipowski looking steady
Two games, two double-doubles for Filipowski in his Duke career.
He made 4 of 11 shots against South Carolina Upstate, so improved efficiency is expected. But he grabbed 10 rebounds and played 21 turnover-free minutes. He also hit 7 of 8 free throws, a good sign for sure.
