On Wednesday night, No. 12 Duke men’s basketball team hosted No. 2 Auburn at Cameron Indoor Stadium for an exciting ACC/SEC Challenge matchup. By halftime, the Blue Devils had managed to secure a 43-36 lead over the Tigers after an intense 20 minutes of play.
Coaching Change and Birthday Celebration
Duke’s head coach, Jon Scheyer, has maintained the same starting lineup for the first seven games of the season. However, ahead of this contest, he made a significant change to the rotation. Graduate guard Sion James, who transferred from Tulane, earned his first start of the season, taking the place of sophomore Caleb Foster. James, who has made a solid impact with the Blue Devils this season, averages 7.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. In addition to his first start, James was also celebrating his birthday that evening. In his debut as a starter, James contributed two points and two rebounds to the team’s efforts.
Tigers’ Strong Start
Auburn, led by head coach Bruce Pearl, opened the game with great intensity and efficiency. On their first possession, Chad Baker-Mazara knocked down a deep three-pointer after an offensive rebound. Soon after, a perfectly executed backdoor cut led to a slam dunk by Miles Kelly, a Georgia Tech transfer. Kelly then drained two long-range shots that quickly silenced the usually boisterous Cameron Indoor crowd. His second three-pointer forced Scheyer to call a timeout, as Auburn had raced to a commanding 13-2 lead before the first media timeout. Despite the early adversity, Duke’s players quickly regained their composure, embarking on a 13-3 run that brought them back into the game, cutting Auburn’s lead to just one point with under 10 minutes remaining in the half.
Battle of the Bigs: Johni Broome vs. Maliq Brown
Auburn’s Johni Broome, a senior forward and one of the nation’s top players, entered the game as one of the biggest threats for the Tigers. Averaging an impressive 20.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game, Broome is known for his strong presence in the paint, despite being a less frequent 3-point shooter. Recognizing Broome’s importance, Duke’s defense, led by last year’s ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Maliq Brown, aimed to make life difficult for the Auburn star. Brown, standing at 6-foot-10, played an early and aggressive role in defending Broome, helping to limit the senior to just 2-of-9 shooting from the field in the first half. Brown, along with Khaman Maluach, pressured Broome into taking contested shots around the basket.
Duke’s Aggression Pays Off at the Line
While Auburn was finding success from beyond the arc, Duke focused its efforts on driving the ball inside and drawing fouls against the Tigers’ defense. As a result, the Blue Devils were awarded several trips to the free-throw line, where they converted 8 of their 11 attempts (72.7%) in the first half, which aligned closely with their season average of 73.3%. This aggressive approach paid off for Duke, as it caused significant foul trouble for the Tigers. Both Broome and center Dylan Cardwell were among four Auburn players who picked up two fouls in the first half, which would be a critical factor to monitor in the second half. On the other hand, Duke managed to commit only five fouls, a significant improvement from their previous game against Seattle.
Player of the Half: Isaiah Evans
Freshman Isaiah Evans was the standout player of the half, making an immediate impact when called upon. This marked the first time Scheyer had inserted Evans into the starting rotation for a ranked game, and the freshman didn’t waste the opportunity. Evans knocked down his first three-pointer after running off a double screen, and then proceeded to make five more crucial three-pointers throughout the half. His third triple gave the Blue Devils their first lead of the game. Evans’ sharp shooting completely shifted the momentum in favor of Duke, especially with Auburn’s Kelly and Tahaad Pettiford finding success early for the Tigers. Evans also contributed defensively, hustling to save a rebound from going out of bounds, further solidifying his well-rounded performance in the first half.
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