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Duke

Henderson sets career high with 35, leads Duke to 101-91 win over Wake

By Jake Lloyd

Feb 23, 2009

Durham, N.C. — In Duke's locker room following its 101-91 win over Wake Forest on Sunday night, Gerald Henderson made sure to stay humble.

"That was lucky," Henderson said of his contested fade-away 3-pointer that iced the win for the ninth-ranked Blue Devils (22-5, 8-4).

"I haven't made a 3 off the dribble in weeks. It went in, though. I'll take it."

Everything went in for the junior, who scored a career-high 35 points to help Duke stave off No. 8 Wake Forest (20-5, 7-5), which shot 61 percent and won the rebounding battle 34-23 — yet lost the game.

Jeff Teague scored 28 points, and James Johnson added 26 and 11 rebounds for the Demon Deacons, who almost overcame a 22-point, first-half deficit.

But they could never get over the hump, and Henderson had a lot to do with that. Jon Scheyer was also at his best, adding a career-high 30 points, including five 3-pointers.

It was Henderson who notched the gritty points, however, who found a way to score when Wake's defense was in excellent position. He made 11 of 15 field goals and was 12-of-14 from the free-throw line.

"He was really good," Wake coach Dino Gaudio said. "The one shot he made, the one 3 as the shot clock was winding down, we're right in his face. That's all you can do without fouling.

"And big-time players make those shots. He's a pro and he made big shots."

Whenever Henderson has a free minute and Kobe Bryant's Lakers are on TV, he sits down and intensely watches his favorite NBA player. Sometimes, Scheyer said, coach Mike Krzyzewski scolds Henderson for trying to mimic Bryant's moves during practice.

But on Sunday, Henderson did everything well that he's grown accustomed to watching Bryant do on TV.

In Duke's 70-68 loss at Wake Forest on Jan. 28, Henderson was clearly disappointed in himself afterward for not playing as aggressively as he wanted. That was never a problem this time. He lived on the free-throw line, where Duke made 27 of 36 attemps.

Wake, on the other hand, took just 16 free throws — making 14.

"We thought that we could drive them, whether it be to score or set guys up for kicks and also draw fouls," Henderson said. "We thought that that was going to be a very important part of the game.

"And so coming in, I just made that an emphasis."

Duke needed Henderson the most when the Deacons were making their strongest push. In the first half, Elliot Williams' intense pressure defense — all on his own — got him four steals and helped the Devils jump out to a 41-19 lead.

Williams, a freshman making just his third start, also had 11 points and helped the Devils force Wake into 16 first-half turnovers that resulted in 23 points for Duke.

But once Wake settled down, it was hard to stop. Teague scored 12 of 15 points to draw the Deacons within 51-40 at halftime, and they quickly narrowed the gap to three points early in the second half.

That's when Henderson asserted himself. Leading 64-61 with more than 13 minutes left, he pulled up, elevated above his defender and swished a jumper. Seconds later, after a Teague layup, he came right back and impersonated Bryant by ducking under his defender — after picking up his dribble — and hanging in the air for a long two-point field goal.

It was the kind of shot — taking charge with the shot clock winding down — that Krzyzewski has envisioned his star taking since he came to Duke.

"'G' was a big-time player tonight. I mean big-time," Krzyzewski said. "That was his best performance as a Duke player tonight."

Henderson added: "That's part of the reason I came to Duke. And I've been talking to him throughout the season about me becoming a great player. And I just feel like today was one of my best games – well, my best game.

"And we've always talked about that. I need to be a leader out there on the court, and he's just really proud of me."

That was evident when Henderson was pulled from the game with 29 seconds left. Krzyzewski gave him a big, passionate huge after his forward played a huge role in pulling out what Coach K called a game Duke needed to win "in so many words."

As for the game-clinching 3-pointer, which gave Duke a commanding 93-82 lead with 3:07 remaining, that was a function of what the Devils have started doing almost every time the shot clock is running down:

Give the ball to Henderson and clear out.

On Friday, as he prepared for what he knew was a game Duke would need in order to stay in the ACC race, Henderson said he liked having the ball in his hands in such situations.

"Coach has called my number a few times at the end of games," he said. "I feel like I can make good decisions coming off of ball screens, whether it be for my shot or setting somebody else up.

"Me and my teammates have a trust in me to do that. I'm very confident in making those decisions."

Henderson verified that against the Deacons, giving Duke a win that leaves it just a game back in the loss column of No. 3 North Carolina (24-3, 10-3) along with Florida State and Clemson. It was also Duke's first game with at least 100 points since beating Albany 111-70 in December of 2007.

But neither he, nor his teammates, will let his head swell no matter how much he mimics Bryant. That was quite apparent in the post-game locker room.

"I'm not going to give 'G' any more confidence than he already has," said Kyle Singler, who added 11 points. "But 'G,' he does watch Kobe a lot. (And) he definitely stepped up big tonight, hit big shots."