Duke basketball handles Bellarmine. Here’s what we learned in the Blue Devils’ win

A 3-point shooting barrage, coupled with what’s becoming its usual shut-down defense, led No. 8 Duke to success on Monday night.

The Blue Devils set season highs in attempts while making 14 3-pointers to roll Bellarmine, 74-57, in nonconference basketball at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Jacob Grandison hit four 3-pointers while Kyle Filipowski sank three for the Blue Devils (4-1). Bellarmine (2-3), after trailing 41-33 at halftime, shot 33% in the second half as Duke pulled away.

Filipowski led Duke with 18 points while Grandison added 16 points as the Blue Devils hit 14 of 35 3-pointers (40%). Duke finished with 18 assists on its 25 made field goals as the Blue Devils skipped the ball around the Bellarmine defense.

“That was the recipe,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said of his game plan. “You have to make kicks, knock down open shots and you have to be really disciplined on the defensive end.”

The Blue Devils shot 45.5% overall while committing a season-low eight turnovers.

Duke hit four 3-pointers in the first six minutes after halftime to turn its eight-point halftime lead to a 57-42 advantage.

Duke hit eight 3-pointers in the first half, leading by as many as 16 points before Bellarmine’s late push on offense cut the Blue Devils lead to 41-33 at halftime.

While the Blue Devils hit 5 of their first 10 3-point attempts, Bellarmine struggled to find gaps in Duke’s half-court defense. The Knights hit only 4 of their first 13 shots as Duke built a 22-9 lead.

With Duke up 30-14 after a Jeremy Roach 3-pointer with 6:56 to play until halftime, the Knights rediscovered their shooting touch. Bellarmine hit eight of its last 11 shots of the half, including Juston Betz’s 3-pointer at the buzzer that sliced Duke’s lead into single-digits.

Here’s what we learned following Duke’s latest win:

Filipowski keeps delivering

Having already authored three double-doubles while leading the team in scoring (15) and rebounding (11) averages, Filipowski scored his team-high 18 points while attempting just eight shots from the field, hitting four. He was 3 of 5 on 3-pointers and hit 7 of his 8 free throws. He also grabbed eight rebounds to match guard Tyrese Proctor for the team lead.

“I love it,” Duke freshman center Dereck Lively said of his classmate and fellow big man. “This isn’t a surprise. I knew it was going to be like this. He’s an amazing shooter. I work out with him every day and I know he’s getting better just like me.”

Hello, Mr. Grandison

The shooter Duke hoped it was getting when Grandison transferred to the Blue Devils from Illinois last summer found his stroke on Monday night.

A 41% 3-point shooter for the Illini over the past two seasons, Grandison scored 13 points while hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers against Bellarmine. The 6-6 forward hit only 3 of 13 behind the arc over Duke’s first four games.

He made 6 of 9 shots overall against Bellarmine.

“Man,” Grandison said. “I mean I was never really worried. I know I’m a great shooter. So somebody’s gonna have to catch the back end of me missing early in the season. I still don’t feel like that was a great shooting performance. But it’s a long season ahead.”

Lively finding his place

Projected as a sure first-round pick, perhaps as high as the top 10, in next summer’s NBA Draft, Duke freshman center Dereck Lively isn’t fully engaged in the half-court offense as of yet.

He missed Duke’s first game while recovering from the strained calf muscle he suffered in practice in mid-October. Against Bellarmine, he started but didn’t attempt a shot in the first half. That made him the only Duke player who saw action who didn’t attempt a shot before halftime.

He played a season-high 23 minutes, scoring two points with five rebounds. But he also played turnover-free basketball.

He’s steadily getting where he needs to be, Scheyer said.

“I think Derek,” Scheyer said, “every every single game has just taken big time strides going forward. And the next step is when you’re open, shoot it. When you’re have a guy closing out, drive it and making those plays. But really happy with how he impacts others on the offensive end, just by being a threat on the court.”

Whitehead rusty

It’s to be expected since he fractured his foot during a team workout on Aug. 29 and had surgery the following day, but freshman forward Dariq Whitehead is a long way from playing up to his ability.

The 6-6 forward didn’t play in Duke’s first three games and saw 15 minutes of action in his first game for Duke last Friday when the Blue Devils beat Delaware, 92-58.

Against Bellarmine, Whitehead again came off the bench. While playing 10 minutes, he committed three fouls while hitting 1 of 4 shots (0 for 3 on 3-pointers) and scoring two points. He left a couple of wide-open shots short, showing he, like Lively, is still getting into playing shape.

“I always feel, for the freshmen, that preseason time is so valuable,” Scheyer said. “They missed that. So they’re learning a lot right now and can’t get down on themselves. They have to stick with it and keep going.”