Tag Archives: Mason Plumlee

Duke basketball Mason Plumlee flashback: 30 points against Wolfpack

Posted on by
1 Reply

Over the past two weeks, The Blue Zone has been counting down the top five performances from each of Duke’s graduating seniors during their collegiate careers. This week, we conclude with forward Mason Plumlee.

No. 2: Plumlee scores 30 in complete game against Wolfpack

The date: February 7, 2013

Mason Plumlee's 30 points in 40 minutes of action helped avenge the Blue Devil's earlier loss to the Wolfpack

Mason Plumlee’s 30 points in 40 minutes of action helped avenge the Blue Devils’ earlier loss to the Wolfpack.

The game: Duke 98, North Carolina State 85

Plumlee statline: 30 points on 9-for-11 shooting, nine rebounds, four steals in 40 minutes of play.

The breakdown: After completing non-conference play without a loss, the then-No. 1 Blue Devils were subject to a shocking upset in PNC Arena, falling 84-76 to North Carolina State. But the loss did not go unavenged.

Less than one month after Wolfpack faithful had rushed the court in Raleigh, senior Mason Plumlee delivered a dynamic performance in Cameron Indoor Stadium, leading Duke to a 98-85 home win.

The 6-foot-11 captain gathered his teammates at center court just before the jump, and his words seemed to have just the desired effect. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s squad came out firing and opened up a 20-point lead. After firing his teammates up in the pregame warm-up, Plumlee showed that he could ‘walk the walk’ as well.

The Warsaw, Indiana native asserted himself early and often, leaving his counterpart—North Carolina State big man Richard Howell—frustrated and in foul trouble.

In a game where the Blue Devils were thin in the front court—Ryan Kelly was out indefinitely and Josh Hairston had an ‘infected arm’—Plumlee delivered yet again. The senior displayed impressive endurance by playing all 40 minutes, and he did not let fatigue affect his play on either end.

Plumlee missed only two shots from the field in his 30-point effort, and added four steals and two blocks on the defensive side of things. His rock-solid performance was key in securing a home win against North Carolina State, and also marked yet another resume item for Plumlee’s National Player of the Year candidacy.

The quote: “I think [Plumlee] is playing as well as anybody in the country,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “His moves inside are really beautiful because he is playing through contact. Instead of taking a hook, he is feeling the defense.”

Previous Plumlee performances:

No. 5: Plumlee records double-double in Maui win against Kansas

No. 4: Plumlee sets career highs in points and blocks against Marquette

No. 3: Plumlee scores 32 and pulls down 12 boards against Demon Deacons

Duke basketball Mason Plumlee Flashback: 32 points against Wake Forest

Posted on by
Leave a reply

Over the past two weeks, The Blue Zone has been counting down the top five performances from each of Duke’s graduating seniors during their collegiate careers. This week, we conclude with forward Mason Plumlee.

No. 3: Plumlee scores 32 and pulls down 12 boards against Demon Deacons

eliza-mason-1-30-13

Mason Plumlee’s career-high 32 points led Duke past Wake Forest in a sloppy contest. (Eliza Bray/Chronicle File Photo)

The date: January 30, 2013

The game: Duke 75, Wake Forest 70

Plumlee statline: 32 points on 12-for-15 shooting, 12 rebounds, 8-of-10 from the charity stripe and two blocks.

The breakdown: Entering Winston-Salem as the No. 5 team in the nation, Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devil squad could have easily overlooked the Demon Deacons. The game got off to an ugly start—including a six-point deficit for Duke in the first period—so senior Mason Plumlee’s dominant offensive performance was vital in securing the team’s first ACC road win.

After opening with lackluster defense, the Blue Devils were able to clamp down on man-to-man assignments, disrupting Wake Forest’s ball movement and offensive timing. The Demon Deacons, on the other hand, could find no answer for Mason Plumlee.

The senior forward owned the paint, utilizing lateral screens, flashes and seals to earn easy bucket after easy bucket. Krzyzewski realized he had a good thing going in frontcourt and continued to run sets for the 6-foot-11 Plumlee.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Plumlee’s night was his patience offensively. The senior captain was not pressing for his shots, but instead let the game come to him. Many of Plumlee’s points came on wide-open layups and dunks.

For a perimeter-focused team like Duke, Plumlee provided an offensive anchor that left Jeff Bzedelik’s squad with limited options. That anchor was key in balancing Duke’s offense and securing the win in Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The quote: “The guys got me the ball in good positions, a lot of it was sets; it wasn’t really moves, a lot of it was just layups,” Plumlee said. “I thought we could have played better, but in the end of the day we won.”

Previous Plumlee performances:

No. 5: Plumlee records double-double in Maui win against Kansas

No. 4: Plumlee sets career highs in points and blocks against Marquette

Duke basketball Mason Plumlee flashback: Plumlee leads Duke past Marquette

Posted on by
Leave a reply

Over the past two weeks, The Blue Zone has been counting down the top five performances from each of Duke’s graduating seniors during their collegiate careers. This week, we conclude with forward Mason Plumlee.

No. 4: Plumlee sets career highs in points and blocks against Marquette

The first breakout performance of Mason Plumlee's career came on a night where Duke's stars struggled.

The first breakout performance of Mason Plumlee’s career came on a night where Duke’s stars struggled.

The date: November 22, 2010

The game: Duke 82, Marquette 77

Plumlee statline: 25 points on 12-for-16 shooting, 12 rebounds—including six on the offensive glass—and five blocks.

The breakdown: Duke’s shots from 3-point land were simply not falling. And for a team that often lives and dies by its long-range shooting, a 6-of-18 performance normally is a recipe for disaster.

But as the Blue Devils struggled, they looked inside to a sophomore Mason Plumlee to carry the load—he did more than just answer the call. Plumlee led the Blue Devils with 25 points, 12 boards and five blocks—setting career highs in scoring and swats—but more importantly, helped his team surge past the Golden Eagles after Duke had squandered a 12-point second-half lead.

Marquette had fought back to tie the game at 55-55 with 11 minutes remaining in the contest, but Plumlee made a layup in traffic to give the Blue Devils back the lead. Plumlee scored 14 of his 25 points in the final 11 minutes of the game.

After Jae Crowder scored to tie the game again, Plumlee helped spark Duke on a 9-0 run when he pulled down an offensive rebound and kicked the ball out to Nolan Smith for a 3-pointer, giving the Blue Devils a lead it would never relinquish.

Plumlee capped off the Duke run with a dunk in transition after a Kyrie Irving steal and an easy lay-in on his team’s next trip down the floor.

It was just the spark the Blue Devils needed to surge past the upset-minded Golden Eagles.

The quote: “Mason obviously was outstanding,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “We got him the ball and he made some great moves down there, just simply great moves.”

Previous Plumlee performances:

No. 5: Plumlee records double-double in Maui win against Kansas

Duke basketball Mason Plumlee flashback: Plumlee records double-double in Maui Invitational win over Kansas

Posted on by
4 Replies

Over the past two weeks, The Blue Zone has been counting down the top five performances from each of Duke’s graduating seniors during their collegiate careers. This week, we conclude with forward Mason Plumlee.

No. 5: Plumlee double-doubles as Duke defeats Kansas for Maui Invitational title

The date: November 23, 2011

Mason Plumlee's double-double was invaluable in Duke's Maui Invitational victory over Kansas.

Mason Plumlee’s double-double was invaluable in Duke’s Maui Invitational victory over Kansas.

The game: Duke 68, Kansas 61

Plumlee statline: 17 points, including 7-of-9 shooting from the free throw line, with 12 rebounds and two blocks.

The breakdown: This game will always be remembered for Tyler Thornton’s awkward, off-balanced 3-pointer that helped Duke seal the 2011 Maui Invitational tournament, but Mason Plumlee enjoyed a very impressive game in his own right.

Plumlee and the No. 6 Blue Devils were trailing by four at halftime against the No. 14 Jayhawks, in a place where Duke had never lost before. What’s more, behind the strength of Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey, Kansas had a seven board advantage in the rebounding department.

Plumlee saved his best performance in the tournament for the second half of the championship game. The junior forward poured in 11 of his 17 points in that half, all while helping harass Robinson into 6-for-15 shooting from the floor. Behind Plumlee’s nine second half rebounds, Duke out-rebounded the Jayhawks by three in the second period.

The quote: “We got outrebounded heavily in the first half,” Plumlee said. “Whenever you play teams with good bigs, one of the biggest things is winning the boards.”

Duke Basketball Seth Curry flashback: Curry scores Duke-career-high 31 against Santa Clara

Posted on by
Leave a reply

Over the next three weeks, The Blue Zone will be counting down the top five performances from each of Duke’s graduating seniors during their collegiate careers. This week, we continue with guard Seth Curry.

No. 3: Curry pours in career-high 31 to defeat Santa Clara

The date: December 29, 2012

Curry exploded against Santa Clara, scoring a Duke-career-high 31 points.

Curry exploded against Santa Clara, scoring a Duke-career-high 31 points.

The game: Duke 90, Santa Clara 77

Curry statline: A Duke-career-high 31 points—18 in the second half—on 12-of-18 shooting, including four 3-pointers. Curry also added three rebounds and an assist.

The breakdown: Things did not come as easily for No. 1 Duke against Santa Clara as the team expected, which set the stage for Seth Curry to have one of his most memorable games as a Blue Devil.

Playing for the first time in nine days due to the holiday vacation, Duke trailed for a large portion of the first half, and when the team was able to gain some separation and take a lead, the Broncos came storming back. The Blue Devils led by just two after the first 20 minutes of play.

For both teams, the second half was about getting the ball to their best scorers—Curry for Duke and Kevin Foster for Santa Clara.

With Mason Plumlee monopolizing the attention of the Santa Clara defense, Curry went to work. The senior guard had success both from beyond the arc and in getting into the paint, knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and three layups during a 26-5 Blue Devil run. 

When the final buzzer sounded, Curry had set a new scoring high as a Blue Devil and Duke withstood the tough test given to them by the Broncos.

The quote: “We all know he’s capable of going for 30, it’s just nice to see him do that,” senior center Mason Plumlee said.

Previous Curry performances:

No. 5: Curry leads comeback against North Carolina

No. 4: Curry leads the way as Krzyzewski wins No. 903

Duke basketball Ryan Kelly flashback: 22 points against Wake Forest

Posted on by
1 Reply

Over the next three weeks, The Blue Zone will be counting down the top five performances from each of Duke’s graduating seniors during their collegiate careers. This week, we start with forward Ryan Kelly.

No. 2: Kelly drops 22 against Wake Forest

Ryan Kelly scored a then-season-high 22 points against Wake Forest before fouling out after just 18 minutes. (Photo by Elysia Su/The Chronicle)

Ryan Kelly scored a then-season-high 22 points against Wake Forest before fouling out after just 18 minutes. (Photo by Elysia Su/The Chronicle)

 

The date: Jan. 5, 2013

The game: Duke 80, Wake Forest 62

Kelly statline: 22 points on 6-of-9 from the field, including 5-for-7 from 3-point range and 5-for-6 from the free throw line in just 18 minutes played.

The breakdown: In his final game of the 2013 season before injuring his foot against Clemson and sitting for the bulk of ACC play, Kelly scored a then-season-high 22 points in just 18 minutes to propel Duke past the Demon Deacons.

The senior forward fouled out with 7:20 left in the contest, just one point shy of the career-high he had set against Wake Forest only 11 months ago.

While Mason Plumlee failed to assert himself on the inside during the first half, scoring just two points, Kelly’s 17 points in the first period carried the Blue Devils to an 11-point halftime lead and an easy victory.

Kelly exhibited his versatility, knocking down outside shots, taking the ball hard to the rim and getting to the free throw line—the aggressive offensive play that Duke would miss dearly over the next 13 games.

The quote: “When you have a guy that hot, you just have to keep feeding him,” Plumlee said.

Previous Kelly performances:

No. 5: Kelly scores 20 points against Wake Forest

No. 4: Kelly wins MVP at the Maui Invitational

No. 3: Kelly puts on a clinic at the free throw line against Georgia Tech