Durham, N.C. - The Western Michigan men's basketball team got a first-hand look at why the #7/5 Duke Blue Devils earned their ranked recognition, falling by a score of 110-70 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham on Friday. With the loss, the Broncos fall to 5-8 overall, while the Blue Devils improve to 11-1 on the season.
Playing without three players that have started games this season (Flenard Whitfield, David Brown, and Brandon Pokley), the Broncos put forth a valiant effort against the Blue Devils, who entered the game with a 41-game win streak on their home court, but Duke was able to control the tempo of the game from the outset in jumping out to a sizable advantage.
The Blue Devils shot 35 free throws to just 11 for the Broncos, including a mind-bending 26 free throws in the first half alone. The Broncos entered halftime with five players already having accrued three fouls. The Broncos dominated the paint against the Blue Devils, out-scoring them 40-28 down low.
The Broncos actually began the game with the lead, as Matt Stainbrook opened the game's scoring on a lay-up after Mike Douglas recorded a block on the defensive end and eventually forced a Blue Devils turnover. Demetrius Ward grabbed the loose ball, drove, and dished to Stainbrook for the easy bucket at the 18:17 mark. Duke would go on a 9-0 run to re-establish the lead, but the next two Bronco possessions ended with Nate Hutcheson scoring on a nifty reverse lay-up and Stainbrook throwing down a dunk to make it 9-6.
Though the Broncos would out-score the Blue Devils 22-12 in the paint in the first half, Duke would launch a barrage of three-pointers that kept Western Michigan at bay. The Blue Devils would go 8-of-15 from the three-point line in the first half.
Stainbrook would play his best basketball in the second half, commanding extra attention down low from the Blue Devils but still posting a game-high 12 points in the half on 6-of-11 shooting. Stainbrook would finish the game with team highs of 18 points and eight rebounds.
Also excelling was freshman Hayden Hoerdemann, who posted his first career double-digit scoring game with 12 points against the Blue Devils. Demetrius Ward was the third Bronco in double-figures, scoring 16 points on 6-of-12 (.500) shooting.
The Broncos will return to action at University Arena on Tuesday, January 3rd, when they face the Milwaukee Panthers of the Horizon League.
