Duke vs. Temple: Score and Twitter Reaction from Coaches vs. Cancer Classic 2014

The No. 4 Duke Blue Devils were far from their best on Friday and had to overcome a poor shooting night to beat the Temple Owls, 74-54, in the semifinals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at the Barclays Center.

Despite winning by 20 points, Duke did not dominate for most of the game. The Blue Devils shot 39.1 percent from the field as a team, with Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Quinn Cook the only players scoring in double figures.

Winslow was arguably the best player on the court, with his contribution on the offensive end only telling half the story. The freshman forward is an incredible defender and played a large part in the Owls going 22-of-59 from the field and 1-of-12 from behind the arc.

Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress couldn't say enough about Winslow's game:

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein feels Winslow's skill set also serves as a perfect contrast to those of his teammates:

The Blue Devils aren't left wanting for talent. It says a lot that even on a somewhat disappointing night, they can beat Temple by such a large margin.

Before the game, head coach Fran Dunphy acknowledged that his Owls were in for a major test, but at the same time, he added that his players should relish playing a team as talented as Duke.

"They are a terrific, terrific team," Dunphy said regarding the Blue Devils, per John N. Mitchell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "We will welcome the opportunity, because it's a great team. We know what we are in for. We know how good they are. Once we hit the floor, we know what we are in for. They are a talented and well-coached team. But that's what you want."

He saw firsthand just how good Duke is.

That said, Temple had a chance early to jump on the Blue Devils and apply some pressure.

Okafor has hit the ground running so far in his freshman year, shooting a combined 25-of-30 from the floor over his first three games. His output in the first half couldn't have been in more contrast to that hot start, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Okafor went 3-of-13 heading into the half with eight points. He did grab seven rebounds to cover somewhat for his poor shooting.

His performance wasn't an outlier, either. As a team, Duke struggled mightily in the first half, only making 12 of its 39 field-goal attempts. The Blue Devils were also 3-of-12 from long range, which is well below their 47.8 percent three-point shooting clip coming into the night.

While there was no way of escaping all of those misses, Duke was otherwise strong in almost every other facet of the game. Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated highlighted how Mike Krzyzewski's team wasn't shooting itself in the foot and also created a lot of second-chance opportunities:

Duke also did a good job of locking down Will Cummings, Temple's leading scorer. The senior guard had as many points (five) as he had turnovers in the first half. Cummings also struggled to stay out of foul trouble, compounding his frustration, as Laura Keeley of newsobserver.com noted:

As bad as things were for the Blue Devils in the first half, they still had a 10-point halftime lead, 36-26. One big run to start the second half and they'd be in firm control of the game.

That's exactly what happened as Duke outscored the Owls 21-9 to begin the second frame, opening up a 22-point advantage. The Blue Devils found their shooting stroke, hitting nine of 17 field goals during the stretch.

Cummings made it a 14-point game, 62-48, with 5:31 to play, but that's as close as the Owls got to a comeback. The Blue Devils defense continued to smother Temple, and Duke's shooting was good enough to not have long scoreless stretches.

Put the two together and the Blue Devils rolled to a win in which the final score somewhat belies the difficulty.

With the victory, the Blue Devils advance to the final of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, where they'll play Stanford. The Cardinal beat UNLV by 29 points, 89-60, in Friday's other semifinal game.

Temple's time in the tournament isn't over just yet. The Owls will meet the Rebels in Saturday's consolation game.