Instead of taking care of business the Duke Blue Devils showed why they are one of the most mercurial teams in the ACC. Blowing a 7 point halftime lead to a St. Johns team that had lost 11 straight games. Duke spent much of the first half turning the ball over and much of the second half being beaten by a Red Storm team that they let stay in the game. Duke’s back-court was the main culprit, never seeming like they were on the same page on either end of the floor – and disappearing offensively when Duke was in dire need of stability. Gary Trent Jr. scored a team high 22 points in the loss.
10 of the Duke 18 turnovers were committed by Duke guards and with a chance to take the lead in the waning seconds Trevon Duval missed 2 free throws. Duke was able to close the lead to 77-76 with 33.4 seconds left on a Grayson Allen 3 pointer but just too much St. Johns in the end.
Duke Drops to 19-4.
Duke’s 18 turnovers were the story of the game, along with the inept ball-handling and decision making my Trevon Duval, Gary Trent Jr. and Grayson Allen.
