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DURHAM, N.C. - The defending National Champions from last season in NCAA Division I and Division II met on the hardwood here Friday evening to open 2015-16 exhibition play and the Division I fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils earned a 112-68 victory over Florida Southern in front of a near capacity crowd at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the Duke campus.
The Moccasins, who posted a 36-1 overall record and earned the school's second ever national title in men's basketball last season, trailed 10-0 in the game's opening two minutes, but would recover from the Blue Devils' opening spurt to pull within 26-22 with 9:40 left in the opening half following a 22-16 run.
"Duke is really good. They jumped on us early and they played really well and really hard, so all the credit in the world to Duke," said Moccasin head coach Mike Donnelly, who made his Florida Southern debut Friday against the Blue Devils. "This game was a lot of fun for us. It is terrific for college basketball at our level, and for the kids it is a great experience. I hope that they (Duke) keep doing it because it is great for everyone involved."
Donnelly stated that Friday's game was not about the result for his team, but accomplishing some little things.
"We never once talked about the result. We are new. We have eight new guys. I am new and we have a whole new coaching staff and we've had 12 practices, so this was not about the result. We were trying to accomplish some little things and for the most part, I am pretty happy with what we did."
FSC's run was aided by a smaller line-up and four made 3-pointers and a combined 12 points from junior guards Sheldon Zablotny (Erie, Pa.) and Trey Moore (Omaha, Neb.). During the run, Zablotny scored seven points, including capping the run by scoring the final five points and Moore added five points.
"We had to make an adjustment. Our big guys picked up two quick fouls, so we had to make an adjustment. We put our five best players at that moment on the floor," said Donnelly about the switch to a smaller line-up. "That run was fun because they competed, they got good shots and they really battled defensively. For that little stretch that we had, that was fun to watch."
Duke, though, would respond with a 16-4 run to push its lead to 42-28 with 5:22 left in the first half. After junior guard Michael Volovic (Carmel, Ind.) stopped the Duke run with a trey to bring the Mocs within 11 at 42-31 with 4:58 left, the Blue Devils would close the first half on a 22-9 run to take a 64-40 lead at the half.
"It was good to play against a team of champions. Florida Southern, their kids played really hard and they have a system of play and they move the ball around very well," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said in the postgame press conference. "Some of it is unconventional for us because a lot of times they had five guards out there. They (FSC) moved the ball well and shot it well."
After starting the game hitting four of its first eight 3-pointers, the Mocs closed the half making just two of its final 9 3-point attempts. FSC shot 35 percent from the 3-point line in the opening half.
Brandon Ingram scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half of his collegiate debut. Ingram was one of five Blue Devil freshmen to make their debuts on Friday night. Duke's freshmen were rated No. 1 overall in the country by most recruiting services.
Duke, who was playing the defending Division II National Champion for the seventh consecutive season, opened the second half on a 27-9 run to push its lead to 42 points following a triple by Grayson Allen with 11:40 left in the game. Allen's trey gave the Blue Devils a 91-49 lead.
The Blue Devils hit the century mark on a 3-pointer by freshman Derryck Thornton, who scored 13 of his game high 22 points after halftime.
FSC would would score 12 of the game's final 23 points, including senior guard Alex McClanahan (Maitland, Fla.) hitting a trey with 15 seconds left to complete the game's scoring.
"Overall it was a good win for us tonight. They (Florida Southern) are going to be a really good team again, so it was good to play them. It is always good for us to play a championship team," the Duke coach added when asked about facing Florida Southern. "For them to have lost one game last year and win the Division II National Championship is quite an accomplishment and so it is an honor to have them in here."
Three Mocs finished in double figures in the game as senior guard Dominique Williams (Haines City, Fla.), who is one of the Mocs four key returners from last season's national title team, tallied 15 points. In addition to Williams, Volovic scored 13 points and Moore added 10 points off the bench in his first game as a Moccasin.
"Well, I am just happy to be here. I grew up loving Duke, so being able to play here and in their environment is crazy. You know, it is very hard to play in an environment like this," said Williams, who is one of the Moccasins' four seniors this seasons. "For us to battle the way we did, get down by as much as 10 early and then pulling within four was outstanding. Duke is long and good and they then took it up a notch and put it on us."
Zablotny and freshman forward Jarel Spellman (Richmond, Va.) each had eight points in the game off the bench. FSC's bench scored 31 of its 68 points.
Along with Thornton's 22 points and Ingram's 16 points, four other Blue Devils tallied double figures as Matt Jones had 15 points, including 12 in the first half, while Marshall Plumlee and freshman Luke Kennard each had 14 points and Amile Jefferson, who is Duke's lone returning starter this season from its 2015 national title team, posted a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Duke outrebounded the Mocs, 55-29, as senior guard Dylan Travis (Omaha, Neb.) was FSC's leading rebounder with five boards. In addition, both teams hit double digits in 3-pointers as FSC was 10-for-36 (27.8 percent) from long distance and Duke finished 11-for-28 (39.3 percent).
The Mocs finished the game shooting 39 percent from the field, but shot just 35 percent from the floor and 21 percent from long distance after halftime.
On the other side, Duke shot 53 percent from the field fro the game and outshot the Mocs, 30-3 at the free throw. All three of FSC's free throws came in the first half. Duke was 21-for-30 (70 percent) from the line on the night.
Both teams took care of the ball as FSC committed just 12 turnovers and Duke had nine turnovers. The Mocs also had 17 assists on 28 made baskets and Duke had 20 assists on 40 made baskets.
The Mocs will conclude its two-game exhibition slate next Sunday, Nov. 8 as they travel Syracuse, N.Y., for a 2 p.m. game in the Carrier Dome against the Orange, who like Duke, are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"I was telling the guys in the locker room we have another opportunity to play on the big stage next Sunday against Syracuse," Donnelly added. "We get another crack at an ACC school, so we are just really fortunate to be in that situation. I thought we showed some things we could tweak and improve upon when we face Syracuse."
