Duke closes first half on a big run for a 52-30 lead over Florida Gulf Coast

DURHAM - Duke struggled to find its offensive rhythm initially, but in the final six minutes the Blue Devils went on a 23-0 run to close the half with a 52-30 lead.

Florida Gulf Coast was done in thanks in large part to 19 first-half turnovers, which resulted in 27 Duke points. Mason Plumlee led Duke with 14 points, including a 6-of-7 clip from the free throw line, and Rasheed Sulaimon also reached double figures with 13 points as well.

After back-to-back 3-pointers from Quinn Cook, who started for the first time this season, Kelly converted two free throws to make it 34-30 Duke. Plumlee went to the line on the next possession after corralling his own offensive rebound. He made the first shot and missed the second, but Kelly grabbed the rebound and converted the lay-in, drawing his own foul in the process. He completed the three-point play to make it 38-30 Duke with 4:08 remaining.

Another offensive rebound converted by Kelly, followed by back-to-back 3s from Sulaimon and Tyler Thornton, gave Duke a 46-30 lead.

While Duke entered the season aiming to center the offense around Mason Plumlee in the low post, old habits can be hard to break.

The Blue Devils attempted 20 3-pointers--or 59 percent of their first-half shots from the field. Duke made seven of those 3s, with Sulaimon leading the team with 9 points from behind the arc.

Alex Murphy, a preseason starter, was the only healthy scholarship player not to see action for Duke.

- Laura Keeley