#14/15 Duke Threes Helps Defeat Syracuse

Tuesday, January 2

Durham, NC

9 PM

Syracuse University

10-4,1-2ACC

Duke

10-3,1-1ACC

Syracuse

Duke

1/2/2024 11:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Adrian Autry Press Conference Photo Gallery

Duke (10-3, 1-1 ACC) went 18-of-24 from the field and eight-of-eight from 3-point range in the second half and defeated Syracuse (10-4, 1-2 ACC), 86-66. The Blue Devils snapped a five-game winning streak for the Orange and have won their ninth consecutive matchup in the all-time series.

Sophomore center Maliq Brown scored a career-high 26 points and logged seven rebounds in a team-leading effort. Brown made 11-of-16 from the field, including a 3-pointer, and three-of-three foul shots. Sophomore guard Judah Mintz contributed 18 points, including eight-of-nine from the foul line. He has scored in double-figures in 12 of 14 games this season.

WHEN THE GAME WAS DECIDED
Duke had a slight 49-47 edge with 14:28 remaining in the affair. The Blue Devils strung together a 13-2 run, including three 3-pointers, to take a 62-49 advantage with 10:25 left. Freshman guard Jared McCain made two threes and sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor scored five points during the run. Duke held a double-digit advantage for the rest of the contest.

A TIGHT START
The hosts jumped out to an early, 7-1 advantage. Sophomore Quadir Copeland sparked eight unanswered points from the Orange with a 3-pointer on his first shot attempt. The run gave Syracuse a 9-7 edge at the 14:27 mark. After Duke responded to go ahead, 13-9. Mintz created seven points in a 9-2 rally that gave Syracuse the advantage, 20-19. When the Blue Devils took a 27-21 lead with 5:27 left in the half, Brown put together three dunks and two free throws to knot the contest, 29-29, with 2:04 before halftime. The score was tied three times in the two minutes prior to the intermission, and the teams went into the break with Duke ahead, 35-33.

Brown and Mintz scored 12 points each in the beginning 20 minutes. The Orange defense limited Duke without a 3-pointer on nine attempts in the starting half. The Blue Devils produced 26 points in the paint with sophomore forward Mark Mitchell's 18 points in the period a significant contributor to that. The defense was stingy on both sides in the first half, the Orange and the Blue Devils each shot under .400 percent from the field. Syracuse crashed hard to the glass, outrebounding Duke by a 25-17 margin.

DUKE'S SECOND HALF TURNAROUND
The two teams traded scores over the first five minutes of the second half. Another dunk from Brown had the Orange trailing by one, 46-45, with 15:08 remaining. Duke took advantage of Syracuse turnovers and regained its shooting accuracy in transition. The Blue Devils made all nine of their 3-point tries in the second half -- McCain had four, and Proctor and Jeremy Roach each drained two. The Duke advantage reached double digits for good at the 10:46 mark, 56-46. Syracuse failed to score in the final 2:13 and Duke finished the game with seven unanswered points.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

The Orange reserves combined for 36 points. The bench has scored 30-or-more points in six-of-14 games this season.
Syracuse had 17 turnovers and the Blue Devils owned a 26-11 advantage in points off turnovers.
Syracuse forced 11 turnovers. Duke ranked fourth in Division one in turnovers per game with 8.9 coming into the contest.
Duke's Mitchell scored 18 of his 21 points in the first half.
The Blue Devils had four players score 10-or-more points in the final 20 minutes.
Duke leads the series with Syracuse, 16-6.

UP NEXT
Syracuse returns to the home court to face Boston College on January 10 in the JMA Wireless Dome. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. and the game will be televised on ACC Network.

TICKETS
Syracuse men's basketball tickets are available online (cuse.com/tickets), by phone (1-888-DOMETIX), and at the Dome Box Office (Gate B).

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (@cuse_mbb).

Gallery: (1-2-2024) Syracuse vs. Duke