R.J. Barrett made the most of his first night home in Canada.
The 6-foot-7 freshman scored 34 points in his first exhibition game for Duke, helping the Blue Devils rout Ryerson 86-67 on Wednesday night.
Fellow freshman Zion Williamson added 29 points and 13 rebounds for Duke. The two freshmen combined to make 25 of 53 shots from the floor, while the 6-foot-7, 285-pound Williamson drained three of four from behind the arc. Junior Javin DeLaurier added eight points and 11 boards with junior Jack White chipping in nine on three made three-pointers.
A capacity crowd of 5,490 witnessed the homecoming of Mississauga native Barrett, who grew up just miles from Paramount Fine Foods Centre and has starred on the international stage for Team Canada. Barrett scored 34 points in 35 minutes while adding five rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. Williamson complemented his double-double with a team-best four assists.
NCAA rules permit teams to take an international trip once every four years. The Blue Devils will play the University of Toronto on Friday, then head to Montreal to face McGill on Sunday.
“But can Zion shoot?”
Zion Williamson knocked down 3 of 4 3-pointers on his way to 29 PTS & 13 REBS in his Duke debut!
(Via @FrankieVision)
pic.twitter.com/Ciqu3vCaIp— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) August 16, 2018
RJ IN TRANSITION. #DukeCanadaTour pic.twitter.com/SEeNFfvH32
— Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) August 15, 2018
Dude is playing ZERO games out here .. don’t jump with @RjBarrett6 pic.twitter.com/qgy715dEiS
— Frankie Vision (@FrankieVision) August 15, 2018
(The AP contributed)
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