DBR Newsletter #94
vs. Boston College
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Key Stats
Total Possessions: 61
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.09 ppp
BC Pts/Possession: 0.80 ppp
Duke FT Rate: 40.0%
BC FT Rate: 17.3%
Duke Pts in the Paint: 38 pts
BC Pts in the Paint: 18 pts
Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats
Notes
Duke outscored Boston College 13-0 to open the game, and made 12 of their first 13 shot attempts to lead 29-13 at the 9:54 mark of the first half.
From there, the game was a defensive battle between two of the top-five defenses in the ACC, particularly in the second half.1 Duke scored 25 points after halftime, their fewest points in a half so far this season, with BC managing only 22 points. After the opening ten minutes, the Blue Devils shot just 12 of 37 (32.4%) for the remainder of the game, and missed all 7 three-point attempts in the second half.
Coach Scheyer remarked after the game, “Great to get our 10th conference win. All of these are precious. Credit Boston College with their defense and I thought they were very disruptive and stood us up, and we have to be better at handling that in the second half. But, loved our defense and our ability to get off to a quick start was great. And proud, like I said, again to get this win.”
Duke got to the free throw line at a 40% rate (20 FTA/50 FGA), right at their season (and ACC) average, after shooting a season-low 7 free throws in Blacksburg.2 The Blue Devils also kept BC off the line (9 FTA/52 FGA), outscoring the Eagles 14-4 from the stripe - and their 38-18 advantage in paint points marked Duke’s sixth consecutive game with at least a +20 margin in the lane.
Cameron Boozer recorded 5 steals to go along with his 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 assists. Duke currently leads the conference in steal rate at 13.6%, with Maliq Brown (5.78%), Cam Boozer (3.67%), Nik Khamenia (2.79%), and Isaiah Evans (2.66%) all inside the top-25 among ACC players.3
Thanks for reading, Go Duke!
Duke came into the game with the #2 defense in the ACC at 99.7 points per 100 possessions; BC was #5 at 106.1 points per 100 possessions (conference games only).
Duke’s previous low was 16 free throw attempts against Florida. The Blue Devils currently average a 40.9% free throw rate on the season (40.2% in conference play).
Steal percentage stats (ACC rank) are for conference games only - Maliq (1st); Cam (9th); Nik (19th), Isaiah (23rd). Steal Rate (%) = Steals / Defensive Possessions