Duke rolls over Robert Morris

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10 years ago

Mar 20, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Okafor (15) misses a reverse dunk during the second half against the Robert Morris Colonials in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 20, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Marshall Plumlee (40) dunks the ball during the first half against the Robert Morris Colonials in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 20, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Robert Morris Colonials guard Marcquise Reed (2) brings the ball up court against Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) during the second half in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. Duke won 85-56. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 20, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski reacts to a play during the second half against the Robert Morris Colonials in the second round of the 2015 NCAA at Time Warner Cable Arena. Duke won 85-56. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Quinn Cook scored 16 of his 22 points in the first half as the top-seeded Blue Devils downed the Colonials 85-56 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Charlotte, N.C.

Jahlil Okafor went 9-of-11 from the field and finished with 21 points for Duke (30-4), which shot 63 percent from the field and will face eighth-seeded San Diego State or No. 9 seed St. John’s in the third round on Sunday. Tyus Jones chipped in 10 points and seven assists, Justise Winslow contributed 11 rebounds and a season-high tying seven assists and Marshall Plumlee posted his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.

Rodney Pryor tallied 17 of his 23 points in the second half for 16th-seeded Robert Morris (20-15), which notched its first tournament victory since 1983 in Wednesday’s first-round win over North Florida. Freshman Marcquise Reed poured in 22 points to round out the Colonials’ double-digit scorers.

Duke hit its first seven shots – including three of Cook’s four first-half 3-pointers – to fuel an 11-0 burst to help the Blue Devils build a nine-point edge less than five minutes into the contest. Jones bookended a 10-0 run with a pair of buckets shortly after the first media timeout as the lead quickly ballooned to 26-9 midway through the first half.

Robert Morris, which fell behind by as many as 21 points in the first half, chopped a 20-point deficit in half with 15 minutes remaining over a span of two minutes as Pryor buried a pair of triples and added a layup to force a Duke timeout. Winslow responded with five points, two rebounds and an assist over a three-minute span during a 12-0 run moments later that put the Colonials away as the Blue Devils pushed their advantage out to 31 late.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Blue Devils became the third Division I program to amass 100 NCAA Tournament wins. … Duke, which improved to 46-9 as a No. 1 seed, shot over 60 percent for the fifth time this season. … Cook finished with five assists, allowing him to become the seventh player in school history to amass 1,500 points and 500 assists in his career.