It took a whole half, but when Duke got going it was a wrap for Miami.
Down by 11 at halftime, Duke (15-4, 3-3 ACC) stormed out to a 20-1 run during the first seven minutes of the second half.
It put the Blue Devils up by 10, who grabbed the momentum on the way to a 70-58 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The run was started by senior guard Matt Jones, who just couldn’t miss. Every time he hit a 3-point shot, he smiled as he trotted back on defense, as if it were too easy. The crowd erupted.
The team was so fired up, even interim head coach Jeff Capel took off his suit jacket and screamed in celebration.
Jones finished the game with 13 points and was 5-of-7 from the floor. He was 3-of-5 from behind the 3-point line. Jayson Tatum led Duke’s scorers with 14 points.
Duke’s huge second half, was a big turnaround from how it played in the first half. To say Duke played bad would be an understatement.
Duke shot just 29 percent in the first half, had one assist, and was 0-for-8 from 3s.
Miami (12-6, 2-4 ACC) on the other hand, grew more and more confident. Hurricanes’ guard Davon Reed was 4-for-5 from beyond the arc in the first half.
But the second half was a totally different story. Capel, who is filling in for head coach Mike Krzyzewski while he recovers from back surgery, opted to start Jones and freshmen Marques Bolden and Frank Jackson in the second half, over Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen and Harry Giles.
The new trio scored 17 of the Blue Devils’ 20 points during its big run.
Duke came into the game having lost two straight games to two top 25 opponents in Florida State and Louisville. With the win, the Blue Devils now have a.500 conference record.
