Duke Routs Fayetteville State in Exhibition Home Opener

DURHAM, NC — Senior grad transfer Jacob Grandison led all scorers with 17 points as the No. 7 ranked Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team defeated Fayetteville State 82-45 on Wednesday night.

The matchup served as a final exhibition game for Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium before their season kicks off next Monday against Jacksonville University.

The Blue Devils got out to a 22-8 run in the first six minutes of the game highlighted by nine quick points from Freshman forward Mark Mitchell. The Kansas native finished the game with 15 points and six rebounds while playing stellar defense at three different positions.

“Our goal is always to try to force tough shots, keep them out of the paint and rebound,” Mitchell told reporters after the game. “We just have to stay locked in for the whole game and not play to the score but play our game the way we know how.”

Toward the end of the half, Grandison started to get going as he put in 10 first-half points for Duke, including two transition three-pointers as a result of stops on defense on the other end. The Blue Devils went into the half with a 28-point lead as their stout defense resulted in Fayetteville State only shooting 29% from the field.

Duke came out hot in the second half as Grandison and Sophomore guard Jaylen Blakes helped spark a 20-4 Blue Devils run out the gate. Blakes finished with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals as he led Duke in minutes with 28.

The Blue Devils showed their high ability to score the basketball as four players scored in double figures despite missing two of their best players in Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead. Duke also showed how stout they are defensively, forcing 11 turnovers and limiting Fayetteville State to shoot just 31% from the field.

“This year Coach Scheyer has been harping on about how sound he wants us to be on defense,” guard and team captain Jeremy Roach told me after the game. “Defense is going to be really important for us to win games and reach the goals we set this year.”

The Blue Devils’ season kicks off next Monday against the Jacksonville Dolphins at 7 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium on ACC Network.