MISSISSAUGA, Ontario -- Canadian star R.J. Barrett scored 34 points in his first exhibition game for Duke, helping the Blue Devils rout Ryerson 86-67 on Wednesday night.
Barrett said it felt "great" to debut in a Duke uniform in his hometown of Mississauga, just outside Toronto.
"This was more for me," Barrett said of previously playing in Paramount Fine Food Centre for the Canadian senior national team against China. "I'm achieving my goals one by one, so it was special."
Zion Williamson added 29 points for Duke.
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.
Duke's trip was scheduled in part as a team-building exercise to help a roster packed with the next wave of star freshmen blending with a core of returning players. All five starters are gone from a team that began last season at No. 1 and ended it with an overtime loss to Kansas in the Elite Eight.
Barrett, who attended schools in Canada before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida for his senior year of high school, said he thought the young Blue Devils "played really well."
"I feel like it was our first game, so first quarter, everybody's kinda nervous," he said. "But as the game went along, we calmed down."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.