DURHAM — Duke continued to shoot from long range in the second half, and continued to misfire.
Luckily for the Blue Devils, everything they threw at the basket from close range went in.
Duke, which missed 19 of its first 20 3-point attempts, still managed to blow out Portland 104-62 on Sunday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils, who led 37-21 at the break, hit 10 of their first 11 tries from two-point range in the second half to establish a 34-point advantage only 7:13 into the final period.
Duke finished 5 of 25 from 3-point range but outscored Portland 66-20 in the paint.
“If we play like we did tonight, we have the chance to be beaten by a lot of teams,” Blue Devil point guard Jason Williams said.
Duke (4-0) set season highs with points in a game, points in a half (67 in the second), made field goals (40), rebounds (52) and assists (21), but all the talk after the game centered around how the Blue Devils needed to improve.
With 14:31 left in the contest, Duke led by only 13 points.
Part of that can be pinned on the Blue Devils’ inability to hit their long-range shots. Duke clanked its first eight 3-point attempts and finished the first half 1-for-15 from behind the arc.
The Blue Devils didn’t make their second long-distance connection until reserve Nick Horvath drained a shot from the top of the key with 11:37 left to play.
Duke, which led the country last season with 10.4 makes a game from 3-point range, is averaging 6.0 through four games this year.
“I don’t think this is as good of a 3-point shooting team, obviously,”Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “(Shane) Battier was one of the best. Basically, when Battier shot, it was going in. As a result of that, other guys got more open shots.”
The Blue Devils got plenty of open looks against the Pilots, but they couldn’t steer them into the basket. Duke’s starters went a combined 2-for-19 from behind the arc, including an 0-for-5 performance by Williams.
“Sometimes the goal just has a lid on it, shots just don’t fall,” Duke guard Chris Duhon said. “We just have to come in and get some extra shots up, keep shooting.”
The Blue Devils trifecta troubles might serve a cause for concern later in the season, but they didn’t keep Duke from winning its 20th consecutive home opener.
Nine of the Blue Devils’ first 10 field goals in the second half came in the paint. Duke didn’t miss its second shot from inside the arc until Dahntay Jones clanked a breakaway, reverse dunk off the back of the rim with 12:21 left to play.
Center Carlos Boozer and freshman guard Daniel Ewing led the second-half charge with their work down low.
Boozer, who had a team-high 20 points and 13 rebounds, hit four of his five second half shots, as well as his first four free throws.
Ewing, who started the second half instead of Duhon, had three offensive putbacks in the first eight minutes of the final period and finished with 15 points and seven boards.
Duhon, who battled cramps in the season opener against Seton Hall, said his health didn’t play into Krzyzewski’s decision.
“Coach felt like I shouldn’t start the second half,”Duhon said. “It was his decision. I’m fine. I’m 100 percent, no side effects or anything.”
Duke never trailed in the game, but its performance left a little to be desired.
Portland turned the ball over on its first six possessions to allow the Blue Devils to jump out to an 8-0 lead, but thePilots clawed back to within 22-14 with 6:59 left in the half.
“We probably should have been ahead 20-2,” Krzyzewski said. “We have to hit layups, and we didn’t finish well.
Duke did to start the second half and quickly turned its rusty performance into a runaway.
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NOTES: Krzyzewski blew up at his team during a timeout early in the second half, and he wouldn’t reveal the nature of his conversation. “I don’t mike my huddles, and I don’t do interviews during the game and at halftime,”he said. “Some things you’re not supposed to know about, that’s the way it is.” ... Jones scored 17 points, and Duhon, Williams and Casey Sanders each had 10. ... The Blue Devils went on a 7-0 run after walk-on Mark Causey entered the game with 5:40 left in the first half. ... Guard Casey Frandsen led Portland with 28 points. ... Pilot coach Michael Holton, who played for the Charlotte Hornets during their first few seasons, sported a purple and teal tie.
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Contact Bret Strelow at 704-797-4258 or bstrelow@salisburypost.com
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