Gerald Henderson leads Duke past Georgtown 76-67

Posted On: January 17, 2009 By: Cliff Comments: (zero)

It was a tough non-conference battle between Duke and Georgetown on Saturday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium. A game that seen the Blue Devils and Hoyas battle back and forth before Duke was able to come away with a 76-67 win. Duke jumped out to a 40-29 lead at halftime but seen that lead dwindle down to as low as four points with 37.5 seconds left before Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer both knocked down a pair of free throws to seal the game.

I’ve mentioned this after the Duke / Xavier game, but I love seeing the Blue Devils play this type of non-conference game. This is the type of game that the Blue Devils need to play to get ready for the tournament in March. Great win over a very good Georgetown team.

I thought the game turned around in the first half when super freshman Greg Monroe had to sit on the bench with foul trouble. Monroe is such a beast down low that he is a difference maker even if he is not scoring. He is constantly double or triple teamed on offense, and is very good on the defensive end. It’s crazy to think how good Duke would be if Monroe would have chose the Blue Devils during the recruiting process.

Wow, what a first half Gerald Henderson had for the Blue Devils Henderson had 17 first half points and finished with 23 for the game. At one point Henderson was like six-of-six from the floor and was absolutely taking over the game. Henderson has really stepped up his game in the last six or seven games and is becoming a very special player for Duke.

Besides Henderson going for 23 points, Kyle Singler added 15 points. Singler didn’t have his best shooting day but still managed to score in double figures and grab 16 rebounds. Jon Scheyer chipped in 11 points while Greg Paulus had his second good game in a row with 10 points off the bench.

Duke is now 16-1 on the season and their next game will be Tuesday against N.C. State.

Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes