No. 4 Duke gets right back to work against Fairfield

Nov 15, 2014 - 3:37 PM Durham, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - The fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils will meet up with another 1-0 team on Saturday night when they play host to the Fairfield Stags at Cameron Indoor Stadium as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Fairfield opened up its season on the right foot on Friday afternoon by capturing a stellar 71-63 road victory over Central Connecticut. The Stags hope that it is a sign of things to come considering they finished a mere 7-25 during the 2013-14 campaign.

Duke got its season off to a roaring start on Friday, easily dismissing Presbyterian at home, 113-44. The Blue Devils have now won 34 straight on their home floor and a whopping 110 straight non-conference games at home.

The Blue Devils have won all three previous meetings with the Stags, most recently in 2004, 99-58.

Although Fairfield found itself down by as many as seven early in its opening contest, it bounced back to take a nine-point lead at the half and never surrendered that advantage down the stretch. The Stags shot a modest 40 percent from the field but held Central Connecticut to only 34.5 percent shooting, and they also had a solid day at the free-throw line (21-of-29). Marcus Gilbert led the way with 21 points while also contributing eight rebounds and four assists. Coleman Johnson came off the bench to score 17 on 7-of-11 from the field. Amadou Sidibe tallied a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while K.J. Rose also scored 10.

Duke's opener was never in doubt, as it shot a red-hot 60.9 percent from the field (including 16-of-31 from 3-point range) while holding Presbyterian to a mere 34.6 percent shooting in the 69-point rout. The highly-touted freshmen class did not disappoint in their debut, as first-year players Jahlil Okafor (19 points), Grayson Allen (18), Justise Winslow (15) and Tyus Jones (15) all scored in double figures. Okafor was especially impressive, shooting 9-of-10 from the field while adding six rebounds and four assists. Quinn Cook scored 14 points on 4-of-10 from 3-point range, Rasheed Sulaimon netted 12 off the bench and Amile Jefferson hauled in 10 rebounds. The efficient Blue Devils had 30 assists on 42 field goals and committed only nine turnovers.