Hurt’s 24 Points Lead No. 6 Duke Past Bellarmine

DURHAM, N.C. — Matthew Hurt scored 24 points and accounted for six of Duke’s 13 three-pointers, and the No. 6 Blue Devils used a 19-2 run in the second half to defeat Bellarmine 76-54 on Friday night.

The Blue Devils (2-1) raced to a 17-4 lead and were ahead 25-15 at the break behind 48-percent shooting. They had six three-pointers, one more than they hit in Tuesday’s 75-69 loss to eighth-ranked Michigan State.

Bellarmine overcame a 1-of-9 shooting start to get within 28-25 late in the first half before Duke closed with a 7-0 run, retaking a double-digit lead it never lost.

Hurt kept up his hot shooting and finished 9 of 12 from the field, including 6 of 8 from long range. Jaemyn Brakefield made all four from behind the arc for 12 points, while Jalen Johnson overcame two early fouls and finished with nine points. Duke shot 52 percent for the game.

The Knights (0-1), making their Division I debut, got 14 points from Nick Thelen and 13 from Ethan Claycomb. Bellarmine shot 43%, but was just 3 of 9 from long range and outrebounded 38-27.

BIG PICTURE

Bellarmine: Cancellations due to COVID-19 wiped out two games the Knights had hoped would introduce them to Division I play. That lack of action showed at first as they started cold from the field before settling down and making it close in the first half. They were no match for the Blue Devils after that, and 20 turnovers didn’t help.

Duke: Perimeter shooting propelled the Blue Devils throughout, along with a fast pace that helped them pull away. There were still some flaws as they were outscored 38-30 in the paint, but Duke also won the boards and blocked eight shots.

UP NEXT

Bellarmine visits Howard on Sunday before making its home debut in D-I against Tennessee-Chattanooga on Wednesday at Freedom Hall, the former longtime home of the crosstown Louisville Cardinals.

Duke hosts Illinois on Tuesday in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.