Field Level Media
Mar 2, 2019
Freshmen R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish each scored 19 points as third-ranked Duke throttled visiting Miami 87-57 on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
Duke (25-4, 13-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) maintained a chance to finish first in the ACC, though the Blue Devils trail Virginia and North Carolina by one game. The Cavs and Tar Heels both won Saturday, too.
Duke played its third game in a row without freshman forward Zion Williamson, who's out with a sprained knee suffered Feb. 20 against North Carolina. This was the Blue Devils' first home game since that matchup.
Barrett also had 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Marques Bolden added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who had lost two of their previous three games. Alex O'Connell posted 11 points.
Anthony Lawrence II and Ebuka Izundu scored 15 points apiece for Miami (12-16, 4-12), which dropped to 0-8 in ACC road games. This came four days after blowing a 10-point lead in the final two minutes in a loss at Wake Forest.
Hurricanes standout guard Chris Lykes missed his first nine shots and ended up 1-for-15 shooting with four points. He missed all seven of his 3-point attempts.
Miami was charged with 16 turnovers, with Duke guard Tre Jones credited with six steals.
Duke steadily built a 47-19 halftime lead. The half ended with the Blue Devils on an 18-3 run.
Duke notched 29 first-half points in the paint compared to Miami's eight.
O'Connell, who has replaced Williamson in the starting lineup, had nine of Duke's first 29 points. He didn't score again in the half.
During the early surge, reserve forward Jack White of Duke drained a 3-pointer. That ended his 0-for-28 stretch from long range. He hit two more 3-point shots in the second half.
Saturday's game also marked the home debut for Blue Devils freshman guard Joey Baker, who played in his third game in a row after it appeared he might be headed for a redshirt season. He didn't score.
--Field Level Media