Wipeout: No. 2 Duke makes short work of Central Arkansas
No. 2 Duke so dominated Central Arkansas it scored 19 consecutive points in one stretch and went four deep into its bench rotation.
And that was just in the game’s first 10 minutes Tuesday night.
The Blue Devils led by as many as 41 points in the game’s first half on the way to an easy 105-54 nonconference basketball win at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Freshmen Vernon Carey Jr., and Matthew Hurt, Duke’s two highest-rated incoming recruits this season, each tallied season-high point totals. Hurt, the 6-9 forward who was out of the starting lineup for the first time this season, finished with 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting for the Blue Devils (3-0).
Carey reached season highs in points (17) and rebounds (10).
Fellow freshmen Cassius Stanley (13) and Wendell Moore, Jr., (10) also scored in double figures. Javin DeLaurier scored 11 and Alex O’Connell 10 for Duke, which shot 56.8 percent and made a season-best 50 percent of its 3-pointers (9 of 18).
Central Arkansas (1-3) shot 35 percent and committed 21 turnovers. The Bears finished 3 of 15 on 3-pointers.
And one
Duke took control over the first 10 minutes, building a 27-6 lead as Central Arkansas went 9:18 without a field goal. The Bears struggled against Duke’s pressure defense, committing 15 turnovers in the first half. Duke had 11 steals in the game’s first 20 minutes.
Personal foul
Central Arkansas, out of the Southland Conference, put up a better fight against Georgetown in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, losing 89-78. The Bears only turned the ball over 12 times in that game while making 12 of 36 3-pointers. But Duke manhandled Central Arkansas in this one, building a 57-20 halftime lead
ICYMI
Duke sophomore point guard Tre Jones was held out of the second half after he came up groggy following a collision with Central Arkansas’ Aaron Weidenaar with 7:58 to play in the first half. Jones was on the court for a few minutes receiving medical attention and walked to the bench under his own power. He stayed on the bench with his teammates the remainder of the game but Duke took the cautionary route by not playing him the second half.
Making sense of the numbers
8: Duke players who scored in the first half while the Blue Devils took control of the game
9: Minutes Tre Jones played in the game, this after he averaged 35 minutes played per game over Duke’s first two wins.
26: Points Duke scored off Central Arkansas turnovers
This story was originally published November 12, 2019 at 8:58 PM with the headline "Wipeout: No. 2 Duke makes short work of Central Arkansas."