Blue Devils beat CS Fullerton behind balanced effort, with Paolo Banchero’s 17 points leading the way
Duke had a relatively low-stress 78-61 win over Cal State Fullerton in a first-round NCAA tournament matchup on Friday night at Bons Secours Arena in Greenville, S.C.
No. 2 seed Duke will face either No. 7 Michigan State or No. 10 Davidson – that game was the late game Friday night.
The Blue Devils (29-6) looked fresh – as coach Mike Krzyzewski said the last few days helped his team – in quickly getting out to a 17-4 lead. Duke led by 10 at halftime and as much as 20 in the second half; CS Fullerton (21-11) made enough plays to keep things from getting out of hand.
Paolo Banchero led Duke with 17 points and 10 rebounds, showing at times why he’s bound to be a top-five pick in the NBA draft. Mark Williams had 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five blocks.
Duke shuffled its starting lineup, moving in Jeremy Roach and moving Trevor Keels to the bench. Roach, who’s played strong down the stretch, had 12 points and five assists.
The result runs Krzyzewski’s win total to 98 in the NCAA tournament, and 1,199 total; both of which are records.
CS Fullerton started the game 3-for-18 from the field.