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Courtesy: Duke Photography
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DURHAM, N.C. - It took a full 40 minute effort of Duke committing to make the extra pass to top a feisty Long Beach State team Tuesday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
With every extra pass and every made basket that ensued, the confidence for the Blue Devils seemed to grow and grow.
Duke held its largest lead of the game, 26 points, thanks to an Andre Dawkins three-pointer with 3:55 remaining in the first half.
Jon Scheyer and Dawkins both waved their hands at Nolan Smith to reverse the ball to the left side of the court. Smith saw them both, sending a pass to Scheyer, who swung the ball one more time to Dawkins, who was spotting up in the left corner.
Dawkins buried the three-point field goal, his second in a row, as the Blue Devils ripped the 49ers zone and man-to-man defenses throughout the first half. The Dawkins three made the score 42-16 in favor of Duke.
The play simply was the perfect example of how the Blue Devils used the extra pass in the first half of Tuesday night's 84-63 win over Long Beach State, a team that has already faced Notre Dame, UCLA, West Virginia, Texas and Kentucky this season.
Thirteen first half assists with just four turnovers fueled the Blue Devils in the opening stanza
Scheyer and Smith finished the first half with a combined nine assists and zero turnovers and ended the game with seven assists each and no turnovers.
"I thought our two backcourt kids [Scheyer and Smith] were terrific to have 14 assists and zero turnovers in this game," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "They have good quickness and they just took good care of the ball."
Duke's top two ball handlers couldn't have protected the basketball any better for the Blue Devils, who were playing in their first game since topping Gonzaga on Dec. 19.
"We have had some good practices going into this game as a team," Smith said. "We were all ready. Nobody took any days off over break, which was good. Everybody came back in shape and ready to play."
The Blue Devils finished with 20 assists for the game.
"When we share the ball like that, we'll have some good opportunities," Scheyer said. "I don't think we even shot as well as we could've with the amount of good looks that we got. If we shoot shots like that, we'll be successful on offense when we take open looks."
"I thought that we had good shots and that's why we had a lot of assists," Krzyzewski said. "A number of those were penetrate-and-kick or after a rebound to relocate it, and so they weren't quick shots."
The Blue Devils took control of the game early, opening the contest on an 18-4 run. During the run, Smith scored on a fad-away jumper from the baseline after receiving the ball from Scheyer at the free throw line and dribbling to his left to create space.
Another play saw Mason Plumlee catch the pass from Scheyer at midcourt, dribble into the lane and dish the basketball off to Brian Zoubek for the bucket and a foul.
Another play saw Smith find Kyle Singler for a three-pointer from the left corner after a steal on the defensive end from Mason Plumlee.
"For me, Jon and Kyle, when the shots come they are going to come," Smith said. "I never really know how many shots I have taken, and the coaches are going to keep telling me to take them when they are there. Jon and Kyle and the other guys set me up, and I am going to take mine, and they are going to get there's as well."
The big three of Smith, Scheyer and Singler finished as Duke's top three scorers. Smith scored 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, Scheyer had 22 on 8-of-18 and Singler finished with 14 on 5-of-12 shooting.
"We are just playing together and not trying to force anything," Smith said. "We are just letting it come to us. The passes that we are making are very easy passes. It is just happening."
Long Beach State was able to cut the lead down to 13 points with 7:37 remaining in the second half, but following a timeout, the Blue Devils returned to the court doing what they had done the entire first half.
They made the extra pass.
Coming out of the timeout, Smith made the extra pass to Scheyer for one of his six made three-pointers.
Following a tip in by Zoubek, the next possession had Smith penetrating into the lane and kicking the ball back out to Scheyer for another three.
"It is great chemistry," Smith said. "We [Scheyer and I] are hitting each other when we are open, and we are having fun doing it. The chemistry just keeps continuing to grow as we head into the ACC [season]."
For Scheyer, the six three-pointers made are the second most he has made in a game this season. He also now has recorded 66 assists to just 10 turnovers on the season.
"He [Scheyer] understands the value of the ball and he also understands his talents," Krzyzewski said. "He doesn't try to be somebody else."
