#2 Duke outscored Syracuse 14-4 at one stretch in the first ten minutes of the game, seizing a lead that remained safe the rest of the way in their 83-54 win at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange (10-13, 4-8 ACC) simply could not generate consistent offense for any meaningful amount of time, allowing the Blue Devils (20-2, 12-0) to notch their 16th straight win on the season.

SU followed an all-too-familiar script, struggling on offense by shooting 38.3 percent from the field, including 26.1 percent from 3-point range. At the same time, the Syracuse defense was too hospitable on the other end, forcing just six turnovers and allowing the guests to shoot 56.6 percent from the floor, including 69.2 percent after halftime.

Both teams struggled to find their footing on offense in the opening minutes. The Orange went through a 1-for-7 slide, allowing Duke to string together a 10-3 run for an early 14-7 lead. That run was closed by the first of three straight Blue Devil 3-pointers coming after SU switched to zone defense. The final trey made it 20-9 just past the midpoint of the half and forced a Syracuse timeout.

The Orange came out of that break with a Chris Bell 3-point shot and a Naheem McLeod layup, clipping the gap to 20-14 and forcing a Duke timeout. The Blue Devils responded to the break by scoring eight of the next ten points to push their lead to 28-16 with just over six minutes left in the half.

The two teams traded markers for the rest of the half, save for two Blue Devil foul shots to close the scoring with the guests taking a 37-23 lead to the locker room. Duke gradually pushed out the lead when the game resumed, crossing the 20-point mark in the midst of running of seven straight points to go up by 24.

The margin would touch 31 the first of three times with just over four minutes remaining, as the Blue Devils ran off ten straight points, capped by a pair of highlight fast break dunks.

Jyare Davis and J.J. Starling led the Orange with a dozen points apiece. McLeod added a season-high ten points off the bench while Bell connected from long range three times for nine.

Duke displayed a balanced offense, as five different players reached double digits, led by Tyrese Proctor’s 16 points, hitting four 3’s along the way. Kon Knueppel had 12 points while Cooper Flagg had 11. Isaiah Evans and Sion James each added ten.

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