No. 6 Duke shoots poorly in loss to No. 8 Michigan State
A poor night on offense left No. 6 Duke with no chance to keep up with No. 8 Michigan State.
The Blue Devils shot a frigid 32.3 percent, allowing the Spartans to build a double-digit second-half lead and roll to a 75-69 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium Tuesday night.
Duke (1-1) misfired from all over the court. The Blue Devils hit 20 of 62 from the field overall while making only 5 of 23 3-pointers.
Rocket Watts paced five players in double figures for Michigan State (3-0). Watts hit 7 of 16 shots to score 20 points. Aaron Henry added 14 points for the Spartans, who shot 42.9 percent from the field.
Sophomore forward Matthew Hurt had 21 points and 13 rebounds for Duke. He hit only 6 of 14 shots from the field, but made 8 of 8 free throws to boost his scoring. Freshman forward Jalen Johnson added 11 points on 4 of 11 shooting for Duke while freshman forward Jaemyn Brakefield also scored 11 points for the Blue Devils.
And one
Julius Marble, who had only played six total minutes over Michigan State’s first two games, made a huge impact against Duke. The 6-8 sophomore hit his first five field goals to score 12 points in his first 12 minutes of play for the Spartans. He had only taken two shots this season prior to Tuesday night.
Lane violation
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Tuesday night’s game was technically part of the Champions Classic doubleheader that always includes Duke, Michigan State, Kansas and Kentucky in high-profile early season matchups. The games are usually played back-to-back on a neutral court at an NBA arena, like New York’s Madison Square Garden or Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The games this year were originally scheduled for Chicago’s United Center but were moved due to the coronavirus pandemic. Duke and Michigan State played at Cameron while Kansas and Kentucky play in Indianapolis.
Making sense of the numbers
9 -- Shots taken from the field without a make by Duke sophomore forward Wendell Moore. He missed all six of his 3-pointers.
10 -- Points Duke led by in first half as it looked to take control early. But after trailing 13-3, Michigan State battled back to lead 37-33 at halftime.
12 -- Duke turnovers, a marked improvement from its 22 turnovers in a season-opening 81-71 win over Coppin State on Saturday.
This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 9:40 PM with the headline "No. 6 Duke shoots poorly in loss to No. 8 Michigan State."