Duke Snaps Conference Losing Streak, Takes Down GT

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Duke Snaps Conference Losing Streak, Takes Down GT

By Jake Lloyd

Feb 28, 2008

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Duke found a new way to win Wednesday night.

All season long, the Blue Devils (24-3, 11-2 ACC) have won by scoring easy transition points and knocking down droves of 3-pointers. Entering the game, the Devils had made 10 or more 3s in five of the previous seven games.

That wasn't the case in their 71-58 win over Georgia Tech. Duke made just two shots from beyond the arc — one in each half — out of 15 attempts. It was a season-low, but the No. 7 Devils didn't panic.

Rather, they followed their missed shots. Every time a Duke player took a shot — whether it was a layup, a midrange jumper or a 3 — at least one Devil rushed toward the basket, preparing for a miss. Often times, it was the shooter himself.

Jon Scheyer said the shot-blocking ability of Yellow Jackets such as Gani Lawal, who had two blocks, allowed the Devils to snake their way to the offensive glass.

"It's a big key for us to hit the boards," Scheyer said. "Tonight it (the 3-pointer) just wasn't falling, and obviously, they played good defense, too, but one of the things — they like to block shots a lot.

"So if we didn't have the finishes, we knew offensive boards would be there. So we got some of those, and it was a big key for us."

Georgia Tech actually out-rebounded Duke 39-37 overall and 17-14 on the offensive end, but it didn't convert its rebounds into points. Duke outscored the Yellow Jackets by an appropriate margin in second-chance points — by 13, 19-6.

The relatively low scoring affair couldn't have been predicted. Despite entering the game in ninth place in the league, the Yellow Jackets (11-15, 4-8) were the fourth-best scoring team averaging 77.3 points per game. And the 71 points was Duke's smallest output at home all season.

"I'm proud of my guys," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "That was a man's game tonight. It was a very physical, good, hard, defensive game."

Duke led just 33-27 after a sluggish first half and the Yellow Jackets cut their deficit to 35-32 a couple minutes into the second half, but they would get no closer.

The Devils managed just 10 fast-break points, but they all came at opportune times. Gerald Henderson's transition dunk made the score 39-32 with less than 17 minutes remaining, and little-used offensive weapon David McClure's left-handed finger-roll made it 41-32.

Henderson and DeMarcus Nelson led the Devils with 15 points apiece.

Then the put-back party commenced, helping Duke keep its lead above six points the rest of the game.

Leading 44-38, Scheyer had his shot in the lane shoved back in his face. Instead of throwing the ball outside, however, he faked out the confident defender, took a dribble and laid the ball in.

On Duke's next possession, Lance Thomas tipped in Greg Paulus' miss, and two possessions later, Nelson got a hand on Kyle Singler's miss and found the basket to give Duke a 51-40 lead.

Despite being the smaller, not-as-muscular team, Duke had 40 points in the paint to just 30 for Georgia Tech.

On a couple occasions, Lawal (10 points, four rebounds) and Jeremis Smith (seven points, five rebounds) were easily able to overpower the like of Singler and score easy inside baskets. But it didn't take long for Duke to start swarming the Yellow Jackets whenever they received it in the post, forcing difficult passes to their perimeter players.

Georgia Tech shot better than Duke from the 3-point arc, making five of 14 triples, but it wasn't nearly enough.

"I give our defense a B+," Nelson said. "We definitely were good tonight with our help-side, defending, rebounding, contesting (shots)."

While Duke improved on a lurid first-half shooting performance to finish 24-of-56 from the field (42.9 percent), Georgia Tech made just 23 of 61 shots (37.7 percent).

Krzyzewski said the Yellow Jackets did a good job of defending Duke on the perimeter, which is why the 3s weren't falling like they normally do.

"I think you have to give credit to their defense," Krzyzewski said. "Our window of opportunity to shoot the 3 was small.

"You're just not shooting from the driveway tonight, so we had to invent some things."

Specifically, put-back scores. While there were plenty of pretty second-chance buckets such as Scheyer's, Duke also scored points the non-descriptive way, making 21 of 30 free throws.

With three ACC games remaining, the Devils were encouraged that they could win a low-scoring game like Wednesday's when the normal long-range bombs missed their mark.

"I think in a way, it should give us confidence because we got a solid win without our shots really falling for us," Scheyer said. "So moving forward, we know defense is the key.

"If our shots are falling, that's an extra thing. We know that will come. (Defensively), we have to continue to play like this."

Most Recent Comments

bluedvls....I'm definitely not boasting, I'm just a sinner saved by grace like everyone else. If you've seen my posts on here for the last year, you've seen that I don't take part in the negative bashing stuff. Not condemning those who do, it's just not my style. Take care my Duke friend.

Turheel,
I often find whenever a person has to post a comment about who they serve it's most often for recognition. I said a basketball god. little G, as it appeared you were makin predictions. About the serving thing, let your light shine and your fruit appear healthy,therefor you'll need not have to boast.

dukedvls... I guess it is how one defines a pounding. When Wake beat Duke by 13 a week or two ago, I didn't classify that as a pounding because Duke was in the game until the last couple of minutes. What Duke did to St. Johns last Saturday was a pounding.

I'm not a god, but I serve the one TRUE GOD! ;)

(loss by 2 to Maryland and 11 to Duke after trailing by 5 with less than 50 seconds left). --------THATS SOUNDS LIKE A POUND TO ME.

Turheel_______Are you a basketball god?

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