Hurt, Jones help No. 2 Duke beat Boston College 88-49 in ACC

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) —

Freshman Matthew Hurt scored 20 of his season-high 25 points before halftime and Tre Jones returned from a foot injury to help second-ranked Duke beat Boston College 88-49 on Tuesday night.

Hurt made 10 of 16 shots and was 5 of 10 on 3-pointers to lead the Blue Devils, who shot nearly 52% and hit their last five shots of the first half as they blew the game open shortly before the break. Duke (12-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) also had little trouble clamping down with its defensive pressure on a BC offense that came in ranked among the least efficient attacks in the country.

Jones had missed the past two games for the Blue Devils with what was described as a mild sprain of his left foot, but finished with a game-high 10 assists.

CJ Felder scored 13 points for the Eagles (8-6, 2-1), who had won four straight games coming in to Cameron Indoor Stadium. But they never mounted much of a response to Duke’s defensive pressure that turned away driving lanes and forced BC to settle for tough looks.

BC shot just 34% and made 3 of 18 3-pointers, including a six-minute stretch in the first half without a basket that helped Duke stretch out its lead. Hurt and the Blue Devils closed out the half in a flurry, ending when Jones found Hurt alone in the corner to bury a 3 just before the halftime horn.

By that point, Hurt — who held his release to mark the make — had matched his season-high scoring output and outscored BC 20-19 in the opening half.

BIG PICTURE

Boston College: BC fell to Duke for the 13th time in 14 meetings and is 0-11 all-time in Cameron. It was also a rough return for Derryck Thornton, who started his college career with a year at Duke before transferring to USC and ultimately ending up at BC as a graduate transfer. He came in averaging a team-best 13.8 points but finished with six points on 3-for-12 shooting while also leaving briefly in the first half with a right-leg injury.

Duke: The Blue Devils had two positive developments in this one. First was the return of Jones, a welcome sign for a team that needs his on-floor leadership and on-ball defensive pressure. Then there was Hurt, who got plenty of time to set his feet and get comfortable on some of those lead-stretching shots. The result was Duke earning its 300th victory of the decade (dating to January 2010) and its 899th all-time victory at its famously hostile home arena.

UP NEXT

Boston College: The Eagles host No. 19 Virginia next Tuesday.

Duke: The Blue Devils visit Miami on Saturday night.