No. 5 Duke can extend its four-game win streak Tuesday night when it hosts George Mason in Durham, N.C.
Duke (8-2) enters the game against the Patriots (7-3) having had a full week between games. The Blue Devils had some time off for final exams after pulling away from Incarnate Word for a 72-46 victory last Tuesday.
It was a game in which preseason All-American Cooper Flagg didn’t exactly wow anyone with his scoring abilities — finishing with just six points on 2-of-8 shooting in 22 minutes — but the standout freshman did grab a game-high-tying eight rebounds and dish out two assists.
Instead, it was freshman big man Khaman Maluach carrying the scoring load for Duke, finishing with a season-high 17 points to go along with seven rebounds.
Maluach’s night was highlighted by catching a pair of lobs and finishing with dunks. His second alley-oop, on a feed from Sion James, sparked Duke’s decisive 30-9 run, enabling it to overcome a sluggish start and build up a comfortable second-half lead.
“I was good on the offensive side but credit to my teammates who passed me the ball when I was open,” Maluach said. “I did my job. I’m not doing anything different. I’m doing what I do each and every day. That’s what I’ve been working on and that’s my role.”
Duke seems to have an endless supply of stellar freshmen. Maluach is the latest to have a breakout performance.
The 7-foot-2 native of South Sudan came to Duke by way of the NBA’s Academy Africa, an elite basketball training center in Senegal for athletes hailing from the continent. Maluach helped his native country qualify for the Paris Olympics this past summer and seems to be improving with every game at Duke.
In the win over Incarnate Word, Maluach topped 20 minutes of action for just the fourth time this season, largely because the Blue Devils were playing without second-leading rebounder Maliq Brown due to a toe injury. Maluach (and his 7-foot-5 wingspan) is a big reason why Duke has either tied or won the rebounding battle in eight of 10 games this season.
“We wanted to give him a look, just to play him through fatigue. I thought our guys looked for him,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said of Maluach. “He was terrific. I loved his rebounding, his activity, and he’s tough.”
Since losing in double overtime at East Carolina on Nov. 16, George Mason has won five games in a row, most recently beating Tulane 76-64 on Dec. 7. While the Patriots got 17 points apiece in the win from Darius Maddox and Brayden O’Connor, it was their defense that stood out, holding the Green Wave to just 34.6 percent shooting in the first half.
“I’m really proud of this team,” George Mason coach Tony Skinn said. “There was a point in time early in the season where if they didn’t stick together, we could’ve really been divided, starting out 2-3… Sometimes that flushes you. For these guys to respond by winning five in a row, I’m proud of them.”
Through 10 games, George Mason ranks 22nd nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 63.1 points per game. Duke, meanwhile, is 11th at 59.9 points allowed per game.
On paper, the matchup is shaping up to be a defensive battle between two well-rested teams.
Under Scheyer, Duke is 37-3 in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
–Field Level Media
