Duke emerges from exam break to beat Princeton 101-50
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) RJ Barrett continued his rookie-season scoring rush, finishing with 27 points to help second-ranked Duke beat Princeton 101-50 on Tuesday night.
Fellow freshman Zion Williamson had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the Blue Devils' first game in more than a week due to an exam break. Duke (10-1) got off to a cold start and didn't take its first lead until more than 14 minutes in, but eventually got rolling and handed the Tigers their most lopsided loss in program history.
Duke scored on 10 of 11 possessions to close the first half, then on four straight out of the break to take a 48-28 lead. The Blue Devils shot 64 percent after halftime as the game turned into a rout.
Myles Stephens had 19 points for Princeton (5-5), which scored the game's first eight points and led 18-16 before Duke put together an 11-0 run to take over.
BIG PICTURE
Princeton: Those opening few minutes had to be encouraging for the Tigers, who avoided early turnovers and caught Duke with some backdoor cuts to build a lead in front of a hostile Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd. They just didn't have an answer once Duke's shots started falling and the Blue Devils did a better job of closing off those lanes. Princeton shot just 30 percent and surpassed its previous worst margin of defeat of 45 points, set against Penn in December 1908.
Duke: The Blue Devils hadn't played since beating Yale here on Dec. 8, and it took a while for the offense to get into gear. Things went to script once that happened. Barrett came in averaging an Atlantic Coast Conference-best 24.2 points and finished 11 of 21 from the field. Meanwhile, Duke's athleticism and length helped its defense finish with 12 steals, 14 blocks and 23 points off turnovers.
UP NEXT
Princeton: The Tigers visit Lafayette on Friday.
Duke: The Blue Devils face No. 12 Texas Tech in New York's Madison Square Garden on Thursday.
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