DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Freshman Kyle Filipowski had 15 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double in as many games, and No. 7 Duke blew out South Carolina Upstate 84-38 on Friday night.
Mark Mitchell’s 13 points and Jacob Grandison’s 12 points also gave the Blue Devils a lift, while Ryan Young contributed 11 points and Jeremy Roach scored 10. Mitchell is a freshman, while Grandison and Young are graduate transfers.
Duke center Dereck Lively II, the highest-rated recruit nationally in the freshman class, made his collegiate debut by coming off the bench. He had been out since a calf injury sustained in a preseason practice. He flushed dunks for his only two baskets, providing the tying and go-ahead points after Duke’s ragged opening stretch.
Justin Bailey scored 13 points for SC Upstate (1-1).
Six different players made at least one 3-pointer for the Blue Devils, who held a 52-27 rebounding edge.
SC Upstate, which led 7-0, managed only five points across a 10-minute span as it fell into a 25-12 hole.
Despite needing almost four minutes before scoring, Duke led 43-18 at halftime. The Blue Devils closed the first half on a 15-2 run.
BIG PICTURE
SC Upstate: The Spartans had their best stretch in the opening two minutes and couldn’t maintain that. Still, it’s bound to be a valuable experience for SC Upstate, which has three more games against Power Five teams before Christmas. The goal will be making considerable strides to improve on last season’s 15-17 record.
Duke: Now it’s time to settle in after hoopla involving Jon Scheyer’s first game as coach earlier in the week. It was important to get Lively, the Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason Rookie of the Year, in action before next week’s showdown with national champion Kansas. That enabled the Blue Devils to work on more personnel combinations in game situations. Aside from allowing a couple of open perimeter shots in the second half, the defense was solid and the Blue Devils prospered from size advantages in the post.
UP NEXT
SC Upstate: At Clemson on Tuesday night.
Duke: Faces No. 5 Kansas in Indianapolis on Tuesday night.
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