National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Duke 81, Boston College 64
When: 4:30 PM ET, Saturday, January 2, 2016
Where: Silvio O. Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Officials: # Tim Comer, # Jerry Heater, # Tim Nestor
Attendance: 7963

BOSTON -- Mike Krzyzewski got the play he needed from his underclassmen Saturday.

Seventy three percent of the Blue Devils' points came from freshmen and sophomores, led by freshman swingman Brandon Ingram's total of 25 points and nine rebounds, in an 81-64 rout of Boston College in the ACC opener for both teams at Conte Forum.

"We have mostly underclassmen, so our underclassmen are going to score a lot of points hopefully," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose roster consists of 10 first- and second-year players.

Sophomore guard Grayson Allen, the Blue Devils' leading scorer, totaled 17 points and nine boards and freshman guard Luke Kennard scored 17 for the Blue Devils (12-2), who won their third straight game.

The trio had 59 points on 56.8 percent shooting and sank 12 of 15 free throws.

"We have three really good scorers in Brandon, Grayson, and Luke," Krzyzewski said, "and for us to have a chance to win they have to put up good numbers."

With senior forward Amile Jefferson sidelined with a fractured right foot, Duke is relying upon two upperclassmen -- junior guard Matt Jones and graduate center Marshall Plumlee. Jones scored 16 on Saturday and Plumlee was a vocal leader on the defensive end.

"Matt Jones was a stud. Just solid," Krzyzewski said. "He was solid for us, and that's what we need. He and Marshall, we need them to be solid for us."

Eli Carter, a graduate guard, scored 19 points and freshman guard Jerome Robinson contributed 15 points and seven rebounds for Boston College (7-7), which dropped its fifth straight ACC opener and saw its four-game winning streak come to an end.

Dennis Clifford battled through foul trouble to finish with 12 points and five rebounds, and the Eagles' fifth-year senior center received high praise from Krzyzewski in the postgame handshake line for his perseverance through numerous knee injuries.

"I can remember coming up here a few years ago and Clifford could hardly walk," Krzyzewski said. "What he's done ... he must have done a lot of stuff because he moves well. I admire that, that kid's commitment and his commitment to BC."

"I definitely appreciate it every time somebody kind of shouts me out basically for what I've been through," Clifford said.

Duke missed 8 of 11 shots to start the game and was 0 of 5 beyond the arc before Jones' 3-pointer brought the Blue Devils within 12-11 at the 11:47 mark of the opening period.

Carter scored eight of the Eagles' first 12 points and hit a 3-pointer with 12:46 to play in the first to give Boston College its largest lead at 12-6.

"I thought we got off to the start we wanted and executed what we wanted to do, especially on the defensive end of the floor," Eagles coach Jim Christian said.

The Blue Devils scored the next seven and claimed a 13-12 lead on a highlight-reel dunk for Allen with 11:29 left before halftime.

Duke used a 24-12 run to close the half and held a 37-24 advantage at the break.

"I thought we were a little bit tight early and then they were good early," Krzyzewski said. "And then our defense stuck in there and we got some stuff off of our defense."

Jones hit a 3-pointer to put the Blue Devils up by 21 points with 10:46 remaining, but a quick 10-0 run capped by a Robinson jumper brought the Eagles within 57-46 with 8:18 to play.

The Blue Devils regrouped to score seven of the next 10 points and put the game away.

NOTES: Duke has won 10 straight games against Boston College, which has lost its last 10 and 21 of 22 against ranked opponents. ... Led by sophomore G Grayson Allen's 20.8 points per game, the Blue Devils owned the second-best NCAA Division I scoring offense coming in (88.9 points per game). The Eagles have reached 88 points only once this season in a 91-60 rout of Maine on Dec. 13. ... Boston College hasn't won five in a row since December 2012 and has two winning streaks of five or more games since 2009-10. ... Eagles senior walk-on G Steve Perpiglia was awarded a full scholarship for his final semester Dec. 22. ... The Blue Devils visit Wake Forest on Wednesday and the Eagles host Notre Dame on Thursday.
Top Game Performances
 
Duke   Boston College
Brandon Ingram 25 Scoring Eli Carter 19
Grayson Allen 5 Assists Eli Carter 5
Grayson Allen 9 Rebounds Jerome Robinson 7
Grayson Allen 7 Free Throws Made Eli Carter 3
Grayson Allen 3 Steals Jerome Robinson 4
Chase Jeter 1 Blocks N/A
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Duke 81 55.1 8-23 19-30 14 32 3 10 16
Boston College 64 42.9 6-15 10-14 14 23 0 6 16