Mason Plumlee reacts after converting a bucket and drawing a foul during Duke's win over Florida Gulf Coast. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY
DURHAM—No. 9 Duke scored an 88-67 win over Florida Gulf Coast. Check out the game story, and a few more thoughts below:
***You don't always see 30-0 runs in basketball games. In fact, that's the longest run since the Blue Devils had a 26-0 run in a home win over Clemson on Feb. 20, 1999.
***While Duke entered the season aiming to center the offense around Mason Plumlee in the low post, old habits can be hard to break.
The Blue Devils attempted 20 3-pointers—or 59 percent of their first-half shots from the field. The Blue Devils attempted 31 3s over the course of the game (49 percent of their total shots) making nine, or 29 percent. Rasheed Sulaimon leading the team with 9 points from behind the arc, and Quinn Cook went 2-of-4 as well.
***Mike Krzyzewski was quick to praise Cook after the game for his play on offense, and defense, which was a continuation of what the sophomore showed in the Kentucky game.
“Quinn was a major factor in our win over Kentucky,” Krzyzewksi said. “When he came into Kentucky game, we really pushed the ball, and his pressure was really good.
“It’s a game he needed and that we needed because, obviously, we need him.”
***With Cook earning his first start, Duke debuted a new lineup for the first time this season: Cook, Seth Curry, Sulaimon, Ryan Kelly and Plumlee. That combination scored 79 points, or 90 percent of the Blue Devils' total points.
***While Cook, a preseason starter, was in Duke’s starting lineup, another preseason starter, Alex Murphy, did not play in the first half. Murphy entered the game with 13:01 left in the game and Duke leading 69-42. The redshirt freshman played six minutes, grabbing two rebounds and going 0-for-2 from the floor with one turnover.
