Duke Hosts Winston-Salem State Thursday

DURHAM, N.C. - The Duke men's basketball team hosts Winston-Salem State in Cameron Indoor Stadium this Thursday, Nov. 1, in the second exhibition game of the preseason. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and will air live on the Blue Devil Network and IMG Sports Radio.

Duke is coming off of a 105-87 win over Western Washington on Saturday in which three Blue Devils - seniors Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly and freshman Rasheed Sulaimon - topped 20 points. Sophomore point guard Quinn Cook and freshman forward Amile Jefferson also scored in double figures with 13 points apiece as the Blue Devils showcased an explosive offense equipped with multiple scorers.

The Blue Devils shot 57.6 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from three-point range against the defending Division II National Champions, thanks in part to the 6-11 forward Kelly who hit 6-of-9 shots, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. He was also a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line, dished out four assists and grabbed six rebounds.

Winston-Salem State is coming off of a successful 2011-12 season at the Division II level in which they won the CIAA Championship and finished with a 21-9 record. The Rams return all five starters from last season, including leading scorers Justin Glover (15.8 points per game), LaMar Monger (13.4 ppg) and WyKevin Bazemore (13.4 ppg). The Rams possess a dynamic backcourt led by senior Marcus Wells, who averaged 3.0 steals and 6.3 points per game as a junior. Wells is one of Winston-Salem State's most experienced players, having played the point for four years, and enters his senior season among the school's top five all-time in assists.

Expect Duke to use a balanced rotation of players again on Thursday, as eight Blue Devils logged at least 15 minutes against Western Washington on Saturday. Only the senior forward Plumlee and sophomore point guard Cook played over 30 minutes, as head coach Mike Krzyzewski took advantage of a deep bench and a wealth of versatility in Duke's lineup.

The matchup against Winston-Salem State will be the last exhibition contest of the preseason for Duke. Coming to Durham for Duke's home opener on Friday, Nov. 9, will be Georgia State for a 7 p.m. contest in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke will then take on defending national champion Kentucky in Atlanta, Ga. on Nov. 13.

COURTESY DUKE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION


2012-13 Winston-Salem State Men's Basketball

Date		Opponent	Location		Time
November
Thu	1	at Duke	Exhibition		7:00 PM
Mon	12	at UNC Greensboro	Greensboro Coliseum		7:00 PM
Thu	15	Barber Scotia	Winston-Salem, NC		7:00 PM
Mon	19	at USC Aiken			7:00 PM
Fri	23	vs. Northern Mich.	Fresh Coast Classic		2:00 PM
Sat	24	vs. Fresh Coast Classic	Fresh Coast Classic		TBA
Wed	28	USC Aiken			7:00 PM
December
Sat	1	Wingate	Winston-Salem, NC		7:00 PM
Mon	3	Allen	Winston-Salem, NC		7:30 PM
Sat	15	Anderson (S.C.)	Winston-Salem, NC		7:00 PM
Tue	18	at Virginia Union *	Richmond, VA		6:00 PM
January
Sat	5	at Lincoln (Pa.) *	Lincoln, PA		4:00 PM
Mon	7	at Bowie St. *	Bowie, MD		7:30 PM
Thu	10	Virginia St. *	Winston-Salem, NC		7:30 PM
Sat	12	Chowan *	Winston-Salem, NC		7:30 PM
Mon	14	Elizabeth City St. *	Winston-Salem, NC		7:30 PM
Sat	19	at St. Augustine's *	Raleigh, NC		4:00 PM
Wed	23	Shaw *	Winston-Salem, NC		7:30 PM
Sat	26	at Fayetteville St. *	Fayetteville, NC		7:30 PM
Wed	30	at Johnson C. Smith *	Charlotte, NC		7:30 PM
February
Sat	2	Livingstone *	Winston-Salem, NC		7:00 PM
Sat	9	St. Augustine's *	Winston-Salem, NC		7:30 PM
Wed	13	at Shaw *	Raleigh, NC		8:00 PM
Sat	16	Fayetteville St. *			7:00 PM
Wed	20	Johnson C. Smith *	Winston-Salem, NC		7:30 PM
Sat	23	at Livingstone *	Salisbury, NC		TBA
Home games in bold. * Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Game