New Blue Devil starter sparks bounce-back blowout

Originally posted on FanNation Blue Devil Country
By Matt Giles | Last updated 12/31/22

Jaylen Blakes drew the first start of his Duke basketball career, replacing freshman combo guard Tyrese Proctor. And ultimately, the result was an 86-67 New Year's Eve feel-good home win over the unranked Florida State Seminoles (4-11, 2-2 ACC).

Considering Blakes' early buckets and aggressive play out of the gates on both ends for the No. 17 Blue Devils (11-3, 2-1 ACC), it would make sense if first-year head coach Jon Scheyer keeps the sophomore point guard in the starting lineup when Duke plays on the road against the unranked NC State Wolfpack at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday.

Blakes, Duke's most productive player in its previous game, an 81-70 road loss to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, scored eight of Duke's first 14 points against Florida State. He finished with 17 points. That marks his second straight game with that total; before this stretch, he had never scored 10 or more points as a Blue Devil.

Moreover, Jaylen Blakes was again a considerable 3-point threat, shooting 4-for-6 from deep, an impressive follow-up to his 3-for-4 clip in Winston-Salem.

He and graduate reserve center Ryan Young were the primary offensive weapons in the first half. However, one could say freshman reserve small forward Dariq Whitehead stole the show just before the break with a picture-perfect driving bucket and a steal on the other end of the floor that forced Cameron Indoor Stadium to erupt.

Duke entered halftime with a commanding 42-25 lead over Florida State and never looked back. The Seminoles did not close the gap to fewer than 11 points in the second half.

By the game's end, the Blue Devils had shot 29-for-55 from the field, 11-for-25 beyond the arc, and 17-for-20 from the charity stripe while outrebounding the Seminoles, 32-24.

Three Duke basketball players recorded double-digit points: Young (20), Blakes (17), and Whitehead (16).

This article first appeared on FanNation Blue Devil Country and was syndicated with permission.

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