By BOB SUTTON Associated Press

Durham, N.C.

Tyrese Proctor has become a part of the scoring lineup as Duke, ranked No. 9, continues to reveal sources of potent offense.

The second-year guard achieved a personal record of 22 points, and the team, the Blue Devils, had multiple significant scoring streaks in the second half to defeat La Salle 95-66 on Tuesday night.

Proctor stated that his shots began to go in early on and he became aware that he could drive towards the basket more effectively. He then utilized this to benefit his gameplay.

In the game, Kyle Filipowski contributed 17 points, while Sean Stewart, a reserve player, scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Additionally, Mark Mitchell scored 12 points for Duke (4-1), who secured their third win in the past eight days.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer praised our performance, saying we played a balanced game. He also noted that it was the closest we’ve come to playing a full 40 minutes this season.

La Salle (4-1) had a strong performance from Anwar Gill with 17 points and Jhamir Brickus with 13 points, as they defeated their opponent in their first away game of the season. This win marks their best start in nine years, as they shot 41.4% from the field.

Fran Dunphy, the head coach for La Salle for 32 years, was seeking his 600th win as a Division I coach. His current record is 599 wins and 345 losses.

Proctor had an impressive performance, shooting 7-for-11 from the field and making two 3-pointers. In addition, he grabbed seven rebounds and had four assists without any turnovers in a game that lasted almost 30 minutes.

Scheyer expressed admiration for the speed at which he is playing. He is executing straightforward plays, but also showcasing his natural talent by making impressive plays that cannot be taught.

Filipowski, who only scored three points in the first half and appeared unsteady, quickly gained momentum in the second half and scored Duke’s first eight points, leading them to a 47-31 lead.

Proctor commented that Filipowski may have been overthinking in the first half, but his teammates supported him in the locker room and he performed as he usually does in the second half.

Dunphy appeared to be more worried about the defense rather than the Explorers’ 6-for-24 performance on 3-pointers.

He stated that our defense must improve as they were aggressively pushing and taking full advantage of the situation.

Duke established a 9-point advantage in the beginning, but the Explorers closed the gap to 1 point at 19-18. La Salle went almost four minutes without scoring a basket, allowing Duke to build multiple 10-point leads. The Blue Devils maintained their lead at halftime, with a score of 39-29.

Dunphy expressed that they would have preferred a more competitive outcome and felt that their performance in the first half was satisfactory.

BIG PICTURE

The La Salle basketball team struggled defensively against the Blue Devils, who were able to outrun them on the court. Poor shooting also contributed to their lowest-scoring game of the season.

Duke University’s basketball team, the Blue Devils, has displayed an impressive range of scoring abilities with four different players leading in points over the past four games. The team’s quick transition plays have provided a steady stream of points and helped maintain their momentum.

According to Duke’s guard Jeremy Roach, having multiple top scorers is a positive trend that can make it challenging for opponents to defend against when the ball is being passed around.

UP NEXT

La Salle University will be hosting a game against Coppin State this upcoming Sunday.

Duke will be hosting Southern Indiana on Friday.

Source: wralsportsfan.com