Nearly perfect half from Duke basketball forward clinches victory over Boston College

The Duke basketball team did not put its best foot forward in the first half on Saturday afternoon against Boston College.

Its shooting from 3-point range, 4-of-16, was poor and there was no aggression when driving to the rim, failing to attempt a free throw.

The second half was a different story due to the play of Mark Mitchell.

After the Blue Devils led 36-32 at the intermission, Mitchell went for 15 points after halftime on 5-of-5 shooting, including making both of his 3-pointers. The only blemish on the sophomore's stat line was a missed free throw, making 3-of-4.

He finished the 80-65 victory with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. It was the most points Mitchell has scored in a game since he added 20 points in a victory over Louisville on January 23.

The Blue Devils were 10-of-13 from the charity stripe while making 6-of-14 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes.

Every Duke starter scored at least 10 points as Kyle Filipowski bounced back from only scoring eight points on 2-of-9 shooting against Notre Dame.

The All-American candidate had 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting and making 2-of-4 attempts from beyond the arc.

Jon Scheyer challenged Filipowski to be better following the Blue Devils' win over the Irish and he delivered.

Duke extended its lead to as many as 17 points in the second half, 65-48, as Boston College never threatened taking the lead following the 13-5 run for the Blue Devils coming out of halftime.

Boston College's last lead in the game came late in the first half when the Eagles took a 28-27 advantage.

Jared McCain, Jeremy Roach, and Tyrese Proctor combined for 43 points as the starters were responsible for 70 of Duke's points.

No. 9 Duke (18-5, 9-3 ACC) will complete its three game home stand on Monday night (7:00 p.m. ET., ESPN) against Wake Forest.