Durham, NC (Sports Network) - Mason Plumlee had a career-high 28 points,
Rasheed Sulaimon scored 19 and the ninth-ranked Duke Blue Devils posted an
88-67 victory over Florida Gulf Coast in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Ryan Kelly contributed 14 points for Duke (3-0) and matched Plumlee with nine
rebounds.
The Blue Devils set a school record by notching their 96th consecutive home
win over a non-conference opponent.
Bernard Thompson totaled 24 points, six boards and five steals for the Eagles
(2-2), who led for a large portion of the first half. Filip Cvjeticanin
drained a 3-pointer to put Florida Gulf Coast up 30-29 with just under six
minutes remaining.
It proved to be the last Eagles' basket until Thompson knocked down a trey two
minutes into the second half.
Duke went on an epic 30-0 run to seize control. Up 52-30 at the break, the
Blue Devils scored the first seven points of second half.
"Our defense was really good there in that time," said Duke coach Mike
Krzyzewski.
Kelly sank a 3-pointer, Sulaimon hit a jumper and Plumlee made two free
throws before Thompson snapped the visitor's lengthy drought.
"I've never heard of a 30 to nothing run before. First one I've been a part
of," said Eagles coach Andy Enfield. "But the good news is, other than that,
we played pretty well. I'm proud of our guys. We outscored them in the second
half by one."
Game Notes
The Blue Devils haven't lost a game against a non-ACC opponent at Cameron
Indoor Stadium since Feb. 26, 2000. They surpassed their previous mark of 95
straight non-conference home wins, set from Feb. 2, 1983-Dec. 2, 1995 ... The
Blue Devils have won 20 consecutive regular-season tournament games. They'll
continue this event in the Bahamas on Thursday against Minnesota ... Duke has
won 10 in a row against current Atlantic Sun squads.
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