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Jones, O’Connell lead No. 4 Duke past Colorado State 89-55

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: NOV 08 Colorado State at Duke

DURHAM, NC - NOVEMBER 08: Duke Blue Devils guard Alex O’Connell (15) goes up for a shot during an NCAA Men’s Basketball game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Colorado State Rams on November 8, 2019 at the Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC. (Photo by John McCreary/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

DURHAM, N.C. -- Tre Jones had 15 points and eight assists, and No. 4 Duke routed Colorado State 89-55 on Friday night.

Alex O’Connell had 14 points while three freshmen also reached double figures -- Cassius Stanley led the way with 19 points, Vernon Carey had 11 before fouling out and Wendell Moore Jr. finished with 10 -- for the Blue Devils (2-0).

They shot 54% and dominated the paint, hitting 70% of their shots inside the arc to win their 38th consecutive home opener.

Wearing gray uniforms trimmed in gold to honor Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski -- who led the U.S. national team to three consecutive Olympic gold medals from 2008-16 -- the Blue Devils pulled away by closing the first half on a 10-0 run, then outscored the Rams 47-29 in the final 20 minutes.

Duke improved to 19-1 when Jones -- the only member of last season’s star-studded freshman class to return for his sophomore season -- scores in double figures. He followed his 15-point, seven-assist performance in the opening victory over No. 3 Kansas in the Champions Classic with another strong game.

He had a hand in 11 of Duke’s first 21 field goals -- hitting seven, assisting on four -- and his reverse layup with 17 1/2 minutes left pushed the lead into the 20s.

Isaiah Stevens and David Roddy had 12 points apiece for the Rams (1-1). They shot 33% with as many turnovers (18) as field goals.

BIG PICTURE

Colorado State: The Rams were trying for their first win over a power-conference opponent (not including instate rival Colorado) since they beat Missouri in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, but Cameron Indoor Stadium is a tough place to make that happen. Colorado State never led but kept this one competitive for about 15 minutes, giving second-year coach Niko Medved some positives to build upon as Mountain West play draws closer.

Duke: The Blue Devils simply don’t lose nonconference home games -- this was their 148th consecutive victory against a non-ACC opponent at Cameron -- but there were plenty of teachable moments for Krzyzewski’s young team. The Duke players aside from Jones combined for six assists, and the Blue Devils were just 4 of 22 from 3-point range.

UP NEXT

Colorado State: Plays host to Omaha on Wednesday night.

Duke: Plays host to Central Arkansas on Tuesday night.