First reactions to Duke’s 79-71 victory over Virginia Commonwealth University.
By PAUL GOTHAM
How it happened
Grayson Allen turned in a career performance, and Matt Jones connected with a pair of pivotal 3-pointers as the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils erased a late deficit to knock off the VCU Rams. Trailing by six with less than 14 minutes remaining, the Blue Devils scored seven straight to take their first lead of the second half at 53-52. Jones capped the run with his first trey of the night. The junior guard connected again with 8:58 on the clock for a seven-point Duke advantage at 65-58. Allen netted 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting including 4-of-8 behind the arc. The sophomore guard also handed out three assists.
Valuing the ball
Duke committed 14 turnovers during the game. Only one of those mishandles happened in the final ten minutes of the game. VCU, which scored eight layups in the first half – most coming as the result of advantage situations on the break created from converting turnovers – tallied 16 points in those final ten minutes. Only two points came from a layup. And that layup occurred with :15 on the clock.
Answering the bell
Allen came off the bench for the first time (four games this season). Last time out against Kentucky, Allen managed just six points on a woeful 2-of-11 shooting performance. The sophomore guard committed four turnovers in a 74-63 Duke loss. More importantly, Allen held VCU’s Melvin Johnson to two makes in the second stanza. Johnson finished with a team-high 20.
Staying in style
VCU finished 11th in the nation last year forcing more than 15 turnovers per game. First-year coach Will Wade, a one-time assistant to former VCU head man Shaka Smart, has the Rams right in step creating 14 miscues Friday night. This year’s Rams don’t generate as much pressure in the full court. They created confusion showing Duke a couple different looks in the half court. Switching between odd and even-front zones, VCU kept the young Blue Devils off balance early. Duke eventually attacked the teeth of the zone with the pass, and VCU lost momentum.
Almost a conference trifecta
A VCU victory would have given the Atlantic 10 three victories over Power 5 conferences on Friday. Earlier in the day, George Mason knocked off Oklahoma State, 71-68 in overtime, and Duquesne defeated in-state rival Penn State, 78-52. Yesterday, George Mason also beat Ole Miss, 68-62. That makes it six wins for the A-10 over Power 5 schools this week with Richmond taking down Wake Forest, 91-82, George Washington beating Virginia, 73-68 and Dayton dismantling Alabama, 80-48.
Up Next
Duke takes on Georgetown in the finals of the Y2K Classic to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. A 1 p.m. tipoff is scheduled. VCU meets Wisconsin.
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