Rough opening night: JU routed by Duke in first trip ever to Cameron Indoor; Gonzaga overwhelms UNF
Well, the Jacksonville University Dolphins knew what they were getting into.
Seventh-ranked Duke pulled away from a 25-22 lead with a 17-4 run at the end of the first half and went to stifle JU 71-44 on Monday in the college basketball opener for both teams at the Cameron Indoor Arena.
It was the first game for the Blue Devils under coach Jon Scheyer, who took over after 42 years under Mike Krzyzewski. It was JU's first-ever game against Duke and first trip to Cameron Indoor.
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JU coach Jordan Mincy led JU to a 21-11 record and the ASUN tournament championship game last year. He had six veterans back from that team (until losing senior forward Bryce Workman to an ACL injury last week that will cost him the entire season) and was hopeful his more experienced team might be able to hang with Duke's talented freshman class and a handful of transfers.
"No matter who wears that jersey, they come to play," Mincy said of Duke, which returned only one player from their Final Four team last season. "They play at a high level and they understand the tradition here at Duke. We thought we could hold our own because we are a veteran team."
Duke held JU to .340 shooting (18 of 53) and 3 of 23 from beyond the 3-point arc (.130). Kevion Nolan, the Dolphins' leading scorer from last season, had only five points and was 1 of 9 from the floor and 1 of 7 on 3-point attempts.
It was the fewest points the Dolphins have scored in a game since Jan. 22, 2020 when they lost 54-37 to Liberty.
Mike Marsh led the Dolphins with 15 points. Mark Mitchell had 18 points, Jeremy Roach 16 and Ryan Young 12 points and seven rebounds. Kyle Filopowski had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
JU hung tough with Duke for most of the first half and with a 9-2 run cut a 10-point deficit to 25-22 with 6:42 left on two free throws by Jordan Davis.
But Roach, the only returning Duke player, connected on two 3-point shots and scored eight points during a 17-4 run to end the first half. He and Filipowski made 3s on back-to-back possessions to give Duke a 42-26 halftime lead.
JU opened the second half on a dunk by Osayo Osifo but then went on a scoring drought of 6:32 and Young scored six points during an 11-0 run to put the game out of reach.
Osifo and Marsh got in foul trouble, which only made JU's rebounding issues worse. Duke outrebounded the Dolphins 44-25, and had a 16-7 edge on the offensive end.
"We got in foul trouble and it hurt our rebounding," Mincy said. "They did a great job of crashing the offensive glass."
The Dolphins will open their home schedule on Friday at 2 p.m. against Johnson University (Fla).
Gonzaga spurt sinks UNF hopes
Malachi Smith scored seven points and Drew Timme, Hunter Sallis and Anton Watson four each during a 26-0 run that left the University of North Florida upset hopes behind in a 104-63 victory for No. 2 Gonzaga at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash.
The Ospreys led 10-8 on Carter Hendricksen's 3-point shot 3:08 into the game but the Bulldogs didn't allow UNF to score for the next 8:38 while building a 34-10 lead.
UNF had eight turnovers and missed nine shots in a row during that span, seven of them from beyond the 3-point arc.
The Bulldogs led 53-23 at halftime.
Hendricksen led UNF with 16 points and eight rebounds, Jadyn Parker had 13 points and five rebounds and Jose Placer added 12 points. Timme led Gonzaga with 22 points and Julian Strawther had 16. The Bulldogs shot .632 from the floor.
The Ospreys will play at Washington on Friday at 11 p.m. (Pac-12 Network) and open at home on Nov. 19 against South Carolina State at 5 p.m.
UNF, JU women dominate
North Florida and Jacksonville scored lopsided victories in their opening games, both at home.
UNF sisters Lyric and Jaelyn Swann combined for 33 points to lead the Ospreys over Warner Christian 92-63 at UNF Arena. Lyric Swann had 18 points and Jaelyn had 15, hitting 5 of 9 3-point shots.
Kristy Hamze had 16 points off the bench and Kaila Rougier had 10 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
The Ospreys are back home on Thursday against the College of Charleston, at 7 p.m.
At Swisher Gym, JU overwhelmed Johnson University 109-23. Tionna Carter led the Dolphins with 17 points, Deshari Graham had 16 and Kyshonna Brown 15. JU held Johnson to 10 second-half points.
JU plays at Kansas on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @GSmitter
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: JU routed by Duke in first trip ever to Cameron Indoor; Gonzaga overwhelms UNF
