Autumn Fleary Scores 14 as No. 4 Duke Beats FAU 78-56 in a Game Set Up 48 Hours Earlier

Most top five teams plan their November months in advance. Duke planned this one in about two days, flew to South Florida, and still looked like the more organized team from the opening tip, beating Florida Atlantic 78-56 on Sunday, Nov. 8, at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena in Boca Raton.

Freshman Autumn Fleary scored 14 points off the bench, Aaliyah Crump added 13, Bella Flemings had 11, and Toby Fournier made a season debut worth noting with 10 points in 19 minutes. The No. 4 Blue Devils scored 50 points in the paint, led by 14 at halftime and never let the margin slip below double figures after the break.

Duke moves to 2-0. FAU, which had played and won at home less than 24 hours earlier, falls to 1-2. Here is the ESPN box score (opens in a new tab) and FAU's official recap (opens in a new tab).

A game that did not exist on Friday

This was never supposed to happen. Duke was booked to play North Texas on Sunday in San Antonio as part of the Foundry Classic. That game was canceled, and Duke's explanation was brief, citing "circumstances beyond the control of the participating institutions," according to the AP.

Duke let it be known that it wanted a replacement and would travel to get one, and coaches across multiple leagues heard about the opening, per the AP. Florida Atlantic said yes, even though the Owls had just beaten Kennesaw State 68-28 at home on Saturday. The game was set roughly 48 hours before tipoff.

For FAU, it was a piece of program history regardless of the score. The AP reported that the Owls had never hosted a top five team, and that their highest-ranked home visitor before Sunday was No. 11 Texas on Nov. 30, 2008. A second game in two days, against the preseason No. 4 team in the country, was a lot to ask of any roster.

Duke's first game, a 76-60 win over Green Bay at home on Nov. 3, was covered here on Undrafted. That night, the Blue Devils needed a third-quarter push to separate. This time they did not wait that long.

Duke takes it early

The Blue Devils opened with a 17-4 burst over the first seven minutes, according to the AP, and won the first quarter 20-9. FAU, playing its second game in as many days with a game plan built on short notice, managed only nine points in the opening period.

The Owls played better in the second quarter, scoring 14 points, but Duke answered every push. A 10-2 run to close the half gave the Blue Devils a 37-23 lead at the break, per the AP, and took away whatever momentum FAU had found.

The third quarter was FAU's best. The Owls scored 18 points in the period, but Duke matched it with 19 of its own and carried a 56-41 lead into the fourth.

Then the Blue Devils ended any thoughts of a late rally. Duke opened the final quarter on an 11-3 run, according to the AP, to go up 67-44, its largest lead of the day at 23 points. From there it was about minutes and rest for a team that had packed for a different trip two days earlier. Duke won the fourth quarter 22-15.

The bench carried the scoring

The most telling number in the box score was where Duke's points came from. The reserves scored 41 of the team's 78, more than the five starters combined.

Fleary was the leader. The freshman went 6 of 9 from the field, made 2 of 3 free throws and handed out a team-high four assists in 27 minutes, the most minutes of anyone on the roster. Fleary was a useful piece in the opener against Green Bay; here the offense ran through those hands for long stretches.

Flemings was nearly perfect, shooting 4 of 6, making 2 of 3 from deep on a day when Duke hit only three 3s as a team, and pulling down six rebounds in 24 minutes. Arianna Roberson, the star of the opener off the bench, added nine points and two blocks, though Roberson made just 1 of 5 at the free throw line. Jordan Wood chipped in five points, five rebounds and two steals, and Emma Koabel scored two.

Among the starters, Crump was the most efficient. The Texas transfer went 5 of 8, including a made 3, and filled in the rest of the line with seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks in 24 minutes. Delaney Thomas scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds, five of them offensive.

Fournier's first look

Fournier, the preseason All-ACC forward who sat out the opener, started and played 19 minutes in a first appearance of the season. The forward made 5 of 10 shots for 10 points with five rebounds, two steals and two blocks. There was some rust in the form of three turnovers and three fouls, but the impact around the rim was obvious.

Fournier's return changes the shape of Duke's frontcourt. Against Green Bay, the Blue Devils had zero paint points in the second quarter, according to the AP's account of that game. Against FAU, with Fournier, Thomas, Roberson and Wood rotating inside, Duke scored 50 in the paint to FAU's 20.

Riley Nelson had a quieter day after scoring 15 in the opener, going 2 of 10 from the field for five points while still pulling down eight rebounds and handing out two assists. Emilee Skinner played only nine minutes and did not score. Duke did not use Jadyn Donovan, Sanai Green or Olivia Martin.

The numbers behind the margin

Duke shot 48.4 percent from the field (31 of 64), while FAU shot 32.2 percent (19 of 59).

The Blue Devils won the glass 47-32, with 16 offensive rebounds.

FAU turned it over 20 times, and Duke scored 21 points off those mistakes. The Owls managed 10 points off Duke's 15 turnovers.

Duke blocked eight shots and made 10 steals.

The one area FAU won was the 3-point line. The Owls made 8 of 19 from deep, 42.1 percent, while Duke was 3 of 11. FAU also shot 10 of 12 at the free throw line, while Duke went just 13 of 22, a number Kara Lawson's staff will want cleaned up.

FAU's effort and the bigger picture

FAU's own recap described a team that battled for 40 minutes, and the box score backs that up in spots. Erin Rodgers led the Owls with 11 points on 5 of 9 shooting, though Rodgers also had five turnovers. Jaelynn Housey scored 10, going 3 of 14 from the field but adding three assists and three steals. Skyla Tuthill was perfect from the field, 2 of 2 with a 3, and finished with seven points, four rebounds and four assists. Vivian Onugha scored seven off the bench, Grace Carstensen hit two 3s for six points, and Mia Jordan blocked three shots.

What FAU did not have was size or depth to handle Duke inside, and that was before accounting for a second game in two days. The Owls have little time to recover: they host South Alabama on Wednesday, according to the AP, then visit FGCU on Nov. 14 and Florida on Nov. 19, per the school's schedule.

For Duke, the takeaway is simple. The Blue Devils, who returned three starters and nine players from last season's ACC championship team, according to the AP, now have Fournier back and a bench that has outscored the opponent's reserves in both games. The free throw shooting and the turnovers still need work. The depth does not.

Duke plays at Norfolk State on Thursday, Nov. 12, before tougher tests later in the month.

Sources: ESPN, AP, FAU Athletics.

Photo: FAU Athletics.