Inconsistent shooting raised concerns about No. 15 Duke’s offense in the early weeks of this college basketball season.
Jeremy Roach is doing his best to allay those fears and make the Blue Devils more potent.
The junior guard scored a season-high 22 points Tuesday night, the second time he’s surpassed 20 points in Duke’s last five games, leading the Blue Devils to a solid 74-62 Jimmy V Classic win over Iowa at Madison Square Garden.
The only returning starter from Duke’s Final Four team last season, Roach hit 8 of 18 shots, including three 3-pointers to reach double figures in scoring for the fourth time in his last five games. He matched his career-best scoring total.
“That’s a big-time game and Jeremy just, really, was in control of our team, from beginning to end scoring, play-making and leading,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.
Freshman Mark Mitchell turned in a strong performance on both ends of the court with 17 points for Duke (9-2) while fellow freshman Kyle Filipowski scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Though he scored only two points, graduate student forward Ryan Young led Duke with 11 rebounds while blocking three shots.
Iowa (6-2) shot 39.7% and struggled behind the 3-point line by hitting only 3 of 16 attempts (18.8%). The Hawkeyes had hit 47.1% of their shots this season prior to facing Duke.
Iowa 6-foot-8 junior forward Kris Murray, who entered the game averaging 21 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, finished with eight points on 3 of 9 shooting.
The 6-foot-8 Mitchell had the primary defensive assignment on Murray with 6-7 reserve freshman forward Dariq Whitehead also helping out.
“Mark and Dariq, that’s some pretty good length to put on Murray all night long,” Scheyer said. “He missed some shots and you need to be fortunate. But those guys consistently made him work, really, for everything.”
Iowa entered the game averaging 86.4 points per game but finished with its lowest output of the young season.
“We got good shots,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “They were physical they way they worked. I think they are connected. You have to give them credit for that. But we got to the front of the rim. We got open 3s. We moved the ball.”
After seeing their 12-point first half lead halved to 37-31 at intermission, the Blue Devils used balanced scoring to push the lead back to double digits as the second half progressed.
Mitchell showed aggressiveness driving to the basket after Iowa started the second half using man-to-man defense after using zone during some of the first half. Mitchell hit two baskets then added two free throws at 14:32 giving Duke a 48-39 lead.
Roach sank a transition shot in the lane while drawing a foul with 14:14 to play. His free throw gave Duke a 51-39 lead.
Iowa could do little against Duke’s defense in response. While the Hawkeyes started the second half hitting just 5 of their first 19 shots (26.3%), Roach hit a jumper at 12:23, giving Duke a 56-41 lead.
“We’ve got good shooters who that didn’t make shots tonight,” McCaffery said. “We moved the ball and got good shots that didn’t go in.”
Duke’s lead grew larger on a nifty play in a half-court set when Ryan Young took a pass along the baseline with his back to the basket. He whirled and zipped a pass under the basket to Mitchell, who slammed home two while drawing a foul.
Mitchell’s free throw gave Duke a 59-43 lead with 9:52 to play.
With Roach hitting three of Duke’s six first-half., 3-pointers, the Blue Devils led by as many as 12 points before taking a 37-31 lead to halftime.
Roach scored 11 points in the first half as the Blue Devils shot 51.9%, hitting 6 of 11 3-pointers. Proctor added seven first-half points, hitting all three of his shots from the field.
With Duke up 19-18, Proctor started a key Duke surge with a 3-pointer at 7:28 of the first half. After Connor McCaffery scored in the lane, Filipowski sank a jumper and Roach drilled a 3-pointer for a 27-20 Duke lead.
When Roach hit a 3-pointer over the Iowa zone defense with 3:48 left until halftime, the Blue Devils led 36-24.
But that was the last shot Duke made from the field in the first half, allowing the Hawkeyes to draw closer.
Ahron Ulis scored on a layup and added a 3-pointer to get Iowa going.
Filipowski missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with seven seconds left in the half and Filip Rebraca scored at the buzzer, leaving Duke up by six points.
____
