CORAL GABLES, Fla. _ A Duke team that established lock-down defense as its identity earlier this season displayed flashy offense as well on Saturday night.
The No. 2 Blue Devils shot a season-best 59.7% to whip Miami, 95-62, in an ACC basketball game at the Watsco Center.
Freshman Vernon Carey scored 24 points and fellow freshman Cassius Stanley added 20 to lead the Blue Devils (13-1, 3-0 ACC). A third freshman, Matthew Hurt, added 13 points as Duke won its seventh consecutive game.
With Stanley scoring 16 points in the first half, Duke opened a 50-36 lead at halftime before extending its lead past 20 points in the first five minutes of the second half.
Miami (9-4, 1-2) shot just 39.7% and turned the ball over 15 times. Kameron McGusty led the Hurricanes with 12 points.
The Blue Devils passed the ball effectively on offense, recording 23 assists on their 40 field goals. Point guard Tre Jones led Duke with five assists, while Jordan Goldwire and Hurt added four each.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski continued to use his 10-player rotation effectively. All 10 players who normally appear in games for the Blue Devils scored, with nine of them hitting at least one field goal in the first half. Duke entered the night with bench players accounting for 40.9% of the minutes played, the 12th highest bench usage in the country. Duke hasn't finished higher than No. 144 nationally in that category dating back to 2007.
Duke played most of the first half without Jones, who picked up two fouls in the game's first 10 minutes. Despite the sophomore only playing eight minutes, Duke recorded 12 assists on 21 made field goals to lead 50-36 at intermission. Duke shot 61.8% over the first 20 minutes.
Miami Heat forward Justise Winslow, a starter on Duke's 2015 NCAA championship team, attended Saturday night's game. Sitting behind Duke's bench, Winslow pumped his first with the cheers when a loud "Let's go, Duke!" chant broke out among Blue Devil fans.
