Freshman Jalen Johnson had 19 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks to help No. 9 Duke beat Coppin State 81-71 in Saturday’s delayed season-opener for both teams.
The 6-foot-9 Johnson made all eight of his shots from the field, including a 3-pointer, and both of his free throws while also tallying five assists. Fellow rookie DJ Steward scored 24 points for the Blue Devils, including a key 3-pointer with 2:02 left that helped keep Duke in control during an unexpectedly tight finish.
Team Notes:
- Mike Krzyzewski is in his 41st season as Duke’s head coach, and his record is now 1,085-291 at Duke, and 1,158-350 overall
in this, his 46th season overall. - Duke is now 92-24 all-time in season opening games, including 39-2 under Coach K. Duke has won 21 consecutive season openers.
- Duke improved to 9-2 all-time when playing on November 28, and have now won six straight on this date.
- Duke last played a game on March 7, 2020, marking a 266 day drought between games – the Blue Devils longest since 267 days between the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons.
Player Notes:
- Freshman Jalen Johnson recorded a double-double with 19 points and 19 rebounds, becoming just the third Duke freshman to post a double-double in a debut. Jason Williams had 13 points and 10 rebounds vs. Stanford on 11/11/99 and Marvin Bagley III had 25 and 10 vs. Elon on 11/10/17.
- Johnson’s 19 rebounds were third-most by a Duke freshman in any game, trailing only the 21 by Marvin Bagley III vs. Florida State (12/30/17) and the 20 by Jahlil Okafor vs. Elon (12/15/14).
- Johnson’s 15 defensive rebounds are a Duke freshman single-game record. The previous mark of 13 had been set three times, most recently by RJ Barrett vs. Syracuse (1/14/19).
- Johnson finished the game 8-of-8 from the field (1-of-1 from three-point range) and 2-of-2 at the free throw line, setting a Duke freshman single-game record for most points on 100% shooting efficiency. The previous mark of 16 points was set by Josh McRoberts vs. Wake Forest (2/14/2006) — 5/5 FG, 1/1 3FG, 5/5 FT.
- Johnson’s stat line also included five assists and four blocked shots in 35 minutes.
- Freshman DJ Steward came off the bench to score 24 points – the fourth most by a Duke freshman in a debut game, and the most off the bench by a Duke freshman in a debut game. The record of 33 points in a debut game was set by RJ Barrett vs. Kentucky on 11/6/18. Zion Williamson had 28 points in that same game vs. Kentucky and Bagley had 25 vs. Elon.
- Steward also finished with nine rebounds (seven defensive) in 34 minutes.
- Six Duke Blue Devils made their debut on Saturday – Johnson, Steward, Jeremy Roach, Mark Williams, Henry Coleman III and Jaemyn Brakefield.
- Sophomore Matthew Hurt scored 12 points and had seven rebounds in 29 minutes.
Duke hosts Michigan State on Tuesday, December 1 in the State Farm Champions Classic. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.