Toledo challenge at Duke falls short

12/30/2014

DURHAM, NC – Freshman center Jahlil Okafor proved to be too much for Toledo to handle on Monday evening in the Rockets’ 86-69 setback at No. 2 Duke.

The senior trio of guard Julius Brown (19 pts.), guard Justin Drummond (14 pts.) and forward J.D. Weatherspoon (14 pts., team-high eight rebounds) paced Toledo’s offense. Sophomore guard Jonathan Williams was also in double figures with 10 points. Junior center Nathan Boothe tallied nine points but played just 21 minutes due to foul trouble.

Okafor topped Duke offensively with a season-high 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting, while senior guard Quinn Cook posting a season-best 20 points.

After falling behind by 14 points early in the contest, Toledo connected on 13-of-15 shots over a nine-and-a-half minute span to cut the Blue Devils’ lead to 47-44 approximately 90 seconds into the second half.

Okafo, however, ignited a decisive 21-9 run by scoring seven straight points that put Duke up 68-53 with just over nine minutes remaining.

Toledo returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 3 with a trip to Highland Heights, KY for its final non-conference contest at Northern Kentucky (6-7). Tip-off time is set for 4:00 p.m.

(Courtesy of Toledo Athletics)

Publisher

Mike Smith saw his first MAC football action as a nine-year-old while hanging onto the flagpole of a nearby baseball stadium. The view got better after he discovered he could get in free at halftime.
Decades later, he can usually be found either on press row or along the sidelines.
Mike has won awards for both his stories and pictures during his time in journalism.
Combining his own skills with those of other writers and photographers, along with conference and school resources, he constantly works to provide an enjoyable MAC product.