Duke Basketball: Halftime report as Blue Devils dunking over Ferris State

The Duke basketball team is wrapping up its exhibition play today as it hosts Ferris State in Cameron Indoor Stadium, and here is the halftime report.

Prior to the halftime break, the Duke basketball players simply overpowered the Ferris State Bulldogs — the reigning Division II champs who had a 38-1 record last season — as they went into the locker room with a 64-16 lead. Yes, 64-16.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski elected to use the same starting five — Marques Bolden, Tre Jones, Cam Reddish, R.J. Barrett, and Zion Williamson — as he did in the Blue Devils’ first and only other exhibition game, a 106-62 win over Virginia Union on Tuesday night.

The highlight play of the half — to absolutely no surprise — was a fastbreak dunk by Williamson that shook the house less than three minutes into the game (or maybe it was another near copy of that one that came around the midway point of the half or his putback jam following a miss by Jones toward the end of the half; either way, it’s hard for any play to top the excitement of a signature Zion slam).

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The first dunk by Williamson was part of an opening four minutes that left the Blue Devils with an 18-2 advantage by the first TV timeout.

And the Duke dominance only continued.

During the next four minutes, Reddish got into the action. After being called for an offensive foul on one possession when he extended a chicken wing during a drive, he made up for the mistake with a powerful dunk of his own on a fastbreak. A moment later, he drained a three, giving Duke a 27-7 lead by the second TV timeout.

Barrett —  who consistently added buckets, from inside and out — ended the half as the leading scorer with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Reddish had 14 points, in part due to his 2-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. Williamson contributed with 12 points, mostly from dunks, and four rebounds. Jones had eight points and four assists.

Overall, the Blue Devils are shooting 60 percent from the field, 39 percent from downtown, and they have a 33-18 rebound advantage over Ferris State.

If it wasn’t for two free throws by the Bulldogs in the final seconds, the Blue Devils would have been on pace to win by 100.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more coverage following the game.