 NO. 5/7 DUKE 110, WESTERN MICHIGAN 70 Playing without three players who have started games this season (Flenard Whitfield, David Brown, and Brandon Pokley), the Broncos put forth a valiant effort against the Blue Devils, who entered the game with a 41-game win streak on their home court. But Duke was able to control the tempo of the game from the outset in jumping out to a sizable advantage.
The Blue Devils shot 35 free throws to just 11 for the Broncos, including a mind-bending 26 free throws in the first half alone. The Broncos entered halftime with five players already having accrued three fouls. WMU dominated the paint against the Blue Devils, out-scoring them 40-28 down low.
The Broncos actually began the game with the lead, as Matt Stainbrook opened the game's scoring on a lay-up after Mike Douglas recorded a block on the defensive end and eventually forced a Blue Devils turnover.
Demetrius Ward grabbed the loose ball, drove, and dished to Stainbrook for the easy bucket at the 18:17 mark. Duke, however, went on a 9-0 run to re-establish the lead The next two Bronco possessions ended with Nate Hutcheson scoring on a nifty reverse lay-up and Stainbrook throwing down a dunk to make it 9-6.
Though the Broncos outscored Duke, 22-12, in the paint in the first half, Duke launched a barrage of three-pointers to kept Western Michigan at bay. The Blue Devils went 8-of-15 from the three-point line in the first half.
Stainbrook played his best basketball in the second half, commanding extra attention down low from the Blue Devils but still posting a game-high 12 points in the half on 6-of-11 shooting. Stainbrook finished the game with team highs of 18 points and eight rebounds.
Also excelling was freshman Hayden Hoerdemann, who posted his first career double-digit scoring game with 12 points against the Blue Devils. Demetrius Ward was the third Bronco in double-figures, scoring 16 points on 6-of-12 (.500) shooting.
The Broncos will return to action at University Arena on Tuesday, January 3, when they face the Milwaukee Panthers of the Horizon League.
Courtesy of Western Michigan Athletics |
