Cook, Winslow Lift Duke Over Clemson 78-56 Without Okafor

By Chris Brown | Feb 21, 2015

Duke, coming off of a dramatic overtime win against rival UNC and missing star freshman Jahlil Okafor, dominated against Clemson defeating the Tigers 78-56 in what Coach Mike Krzyzewski says was “one of the best wins we’ve had here in a long time” and “I cannot be prouder of my team”.

Okafor sprained his left ankle late in the first half of the match-up against UNC Wednesday but was able to return to that game and play in the 2nd half and the overtime period. The days following the injury he was placed in a walking boot and was questionable for the game today but was ultimately scratched from this game after his ankle was still swollen.

Defensively, Duke played pressure zone most of the game which really threw the Tigers out of rhythm offensively. Clemson kept it close early in the first half, with Duke only leading 20-17 with about 7:50 left after the second media timeout, but the Blue Devils went on a 22-10 run to close out the half and led 42-27 at halftime.

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Duke shot 51.7% from the field and made 6 of their 7 threes for the game in the 2nd half. The Blue Devils were led by Quinn Cook and Justise Winslow in this game. Both Cook and Winslow made over half of the shots they took and tied career-highs in points with 27 and 20, respectively, and Winslow also added a career-high 13 rebounds. The Tigers were limited to only 1 double figure scorer in Jaron Blossomgame who finished with 10.

Other players were also able to step up in Okafor’s absence, including Tyus Jones who finished with 11 points, 9 assists, and 4 steals and freshman Grayson Allen made an impact off the bench with 10 points after averaging less than 3 points previously this season.

Also without Okafor, the team’s leader in points, rebounds, and shooting percentage, Duke was able to outscore the Tigers in the paint 42-30, out-rebound them 33-29, and shoot a good percentage throughout the game. The Blue Devils also had 19 fast break points compared to only 4 for Clemson.

Next, Duke will travel to Virginia Tech to take on the Hokies Wednesday evening. The Blue Devils are now 3rd place in the ACC at 11-3 and 24-3 for the season. No word yet on if Jahlil Okafor will be able to return for the next game or will continue to sit out and rest his ankle.

Game MVP: Justise Winslow set the tone early finishing with a double-double of 20 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Winslow was aggressive and helped Duke to easily outscore Clemson in the paint with Okafor out.

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