Lafayette came into Cameron Indoor Stadium determined to make a splash against the 7th ranked Blue Devils – and they did for one half of basketball, but ultimately the Leopards would fall to Duke 88-55. Wendell Moore, who has been playing some of his best and most consistent basketball, took over for the Blue Devils when Lafayette cut a once 16-point 1st half lead to six early in the second. The junior forward scored nine straight points – pushing the Blue Devils’ lead back into double digits, but it was the play of freshman AJ Griffin that had people talking.
Griffin, a five-star recruit who has battled numerous injuries since his junior year in high school, finished with 18 points on 7-10 shooting from the floor, including 4-6 from three.
“I think after the second [three-pointer] hit,” Griffin said when asked about at what point in the game he knew he was going to have a great shooting night. “I just come into every game with the same mindset, and the coaches and the players, they’ve been helping me and encouraging me. I kind of just enjoy embracing the moment. I just had a lot of fun out there. I’m always ready and stay ready for whatever. I continue to have that mindset going into every game and just play hard.”
“He’s getting in shape,” Coach K said when asked about Griffin’s performance. “He was out for two and a half weeks, and just so you know he didn’t play in high school for two years. It’s a big learning curve, but he’s in better shape now. It’s not just one or two plays, he can play multiple plays. Obviously, he shot well, but he can shoot. He has one of the softest shots. Just keep coming and he’ll make us better.”
The Blue Devils will face the Citadel Monday before traveling to Vegas to take on top-ranked Gonzaga.
Game Notes
Team Notes:
- Mike Krzyzewski is in his 42nd season as Duke’s head coach, and his record is now 1,102-302 at Duke, and 1,175-361 overall in this, his 47th season overall.
- The series versus Lafayette now stands at 2-0 in Duke’s favor. Tonight marked the teams’ only meeting since 1977.
- Duke is now 919-168 at Cameron Indoor Stadium all-time, including 561-73 under Coach K.
- Duke held its fourth consecutive opponent to 56 points or less and has yet to allow more than 71 points this season.
- Lafayette shot .377 from the field for the game and hit on .259 (7-of-27) from three-point range.
- Duke has held each of its first five opponents to less than .400 from the field this season and is now 458-16 in the Coach K era when the opponent shoots less than .400.
- Duke registered 11 steals, forced 17 turnovers and owned a 22-5 edge in points-off-turnover scoring.
- In five games this season, Duke is +60 in points-off-turnover scoring (98-38).
- Duke out-rebounded Lafayette, 50-33, including 19-8 on the offensive glass.
- Duke is committing just 12.2 fouls per game and has made seven more free throws than the opponents have attempted this season (49-42).
- Of the opponents’ 42 free throw attempts this season, just 15 have come in the first half, including two tonight.
Player Notes:
- Sophomore Mark Williams recorded his third career double-double (first this season) with 14 points and 15 rebounds, along with four blocked shots, in 21 minutes.
- Williams’ eight offensive rebounds were a career high.
- It marked Williams’ second straight game in double-figure points.
- Junior Wendell Moore Jr., recorded his fifth career 20-point game with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes.
- He has recorded double-figure points in each of the first five games this season – the longest streak of his career.
- Freshman AJ Griffin came off the bench with a career-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range.
- Griffin also had two steals in 21 minutes.
- It marks the second straight game a Duke freshman has shot 4-of-6 from three-point range after Keels performance vs. Gardner-Webb.
