Portland St. Vikings vs Duke Blue Devils Match Player Stats On Nov 23, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Nov 23, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. -- After receiving a wake-up call in the first half, No. 1 Duke began the Phil Knight 80 Invitational with a 99-81 first-round victory over upstart Portland State on Thursday.

The Blue Devils (5-0) went into the half trailing 49-45 but after a short discussion with coach Mike Krzyzewski at the half came out much more disciplined to slow the game down.

Potential No. 1 overall NBA pick Marvin Bagley III led Duke with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Trevon Duval added 22 points.

Deontae North scored 24 points for Portland State (4-1).

Eventually, Duke's switch to a 2-3 zone and size wore down Portland State in the second half. Bagley was nearly unstoppable down low as no Vikings player came close to his combination of size and length.

Bagley's ability to create room in tight spots and see over the smaller Portland State players was invaluable to slowing the game down.

Altogether, the Blue Devils dominated the Vikings in the paint, outscoring them 54-26, including a 49-37 rebounding advantage.

The Vikings were able to stay in the game with their three-point shooting. They knocked down 12 in the game, outscoring the Blue Devils 36-12 from beyond the arc.

Portland State came out of the gate like a team with nothing to lose. North led the charge with 20 points in the first half, hitting 4 of 5 from beyond the arc. He picked apart the Blue Devils with a solid outside jumper combined with the skills and athleticism to score down low.

North fouled out midway through the second half. Bryce Canda added 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Portland State committed 33 fouls, compared with just 12 fouls by Duke.

Grayson Allen, one of five Blue Devils in double figures, chipped in 14 points and nine assists. Wendell Carter Jr. added 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Duke advances to play the winner of Texas-Butler on Friday. Portland State will face the Texas-Butler loser.

NOTES: F Marvin Bagley III was the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2017. ... Duke started four freshmen (Bagley III, G Trevon Duval, F Wendell Carter Jr. and G Gary Trent Jr.). ... Deontae North's 20 points in the first half were the most he has scored in a Portland State game since posting 25 against Cal State Bakersfield early last year. ... North was thrown out of the game for picking up two technical fouls in the second half ... Duke made 29 of 42 free throws. ... There were four technical fouls in the game. ... Five Portland State players fouled out.