After seeing a 15 point first half lead trimmed all the way down to just three early in the second, Duke took control against the San Jose Spartans to cruise to a 70-51 victory while extended the nation's longest non-conference winning streak to 50 straight.
The Blue Devils appeared to be on cruise control early after racing out to a 33-18 advantage in the first 14 minutes of the game, but would score just one point over the final 6:14 of the first half. With Duke unable to extend the lead, the Spartans (1-11) began slowly chipping away, drawing to within eight at intermission.
San Jose State would trim the lead to 36-33 at the 18:06 mark, but would draw no closed as the Blue Devils continually went to McRoberts for whom the Spartans had no answer. The 6'10 junior knocked down his second career three pointer, which sparked a 24-7 game deciding run midway through the half.
In addition to his career best rebounding total, McRoberts added 15 points and five assists - both team highs. Junior DeMarcus Nelson added 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists for Duke while being forced to play more inside due to the absence of freshman big forward Lance Thomas, who sat out with an ankle injury.
On the heels of his 20 point scoring outburst against Gonzaga, Greg Paulus added 12 points while handing out just three assists. Making his second consecutive start of the season, freshman Gerald Henderson scored eight points on four of six shooting from the field.
Though the offense was once again sluggish, the Blue Devils defense showed no ill effects of the 10 day layoff, holding the Spartans to just 34% shooting from the floor and 9% from the perimeter.
The Blue Devils' final tune-up before the ACC season kicks off comes Tuesday when the Temple Owls come calling to Cameron.