Someone said on social media that Duke & wake would be a rock fight, and for a while it seemed that way. Neither offense could really find rhythm, and both defenses seemed to exert their will. Duke was lucky to shoot 45% in the first half of the game, while Wake barely got to 30%. Duke’s 10 turnovers that yielded 6 points for Wake probably aided in keeping the game within reach in the first half. Duke led by as much as 15 in the first half, but a Hunter Sallis breakaway dunk to end the first half sent Wake into the half down 13 and with a hint of momentum despite the deficit. Wake funneled that momentum into a 23-9 run to begin the second half. In arguably the worst stretch of basketball from Duke this season, the Blue Devils not only watched their 13 point lead evaporate, but Wake Forest pushed past the Blue Devils for a 6 point lead at the 9:55 mark. Duke, down 6, went to Cooper. Flagg who hit a jumper from the free throw line to pull Duke within four, 45-41, with 7:38 remaining. Mason Gillis drilled a three from the top of the arc, pulling the Blue Devils within just 1, 47-46, with six minutes on the timer. Cooper Flagg put Duke back in front, 48-47, with a layup through contact and Proctor converted 1 from the free throw line to put Duke up 2. Overall, the Blue Devils ended the game on a 22-11 run, pushing past a tough Wake Forest team for the win 63-56.
Duke didn’t have their best stuff offensively, just shooting 37% from the floor. Duke missed open shot after open shot, including several chippies at the rim. Wake however, was just as bad, also shooting just 37% from the field. The difference in the game was Duke’s ability to shoot the 3 when it needed them the most. Huge shots by both Tyrese Proctor and Mason Gillis saved the Blue Devils from picking up their first loss in ACC play. Flagg would lead the Blue Devils in scoring with 24 points and in assists with 6, although the freshman didn’t play his best floor game with 7 turnovers. Freshman Kon Knueppel lead the Blue Devils on the board with 9 for the game, 8 on the defensive end to go along with his 15 points. Graduate transfer Mason Gillis added 11 points off the bench for the Blue Devils, hitting 3-6 from beyond the arc and grabbing 6 boards.
In a game where the Blue Devils got just 4 points from their front court, they still mage to get 20 paint points. Duke extends their winning streak to 13 games. The 13-game winning streak is the longest by a Duke team under head coach Jon Scheyer. The last time the Blue Devils won at least 13 games in a row was during the 2014-15 campaign, when Duke reeled off 14 straight wins to begin the 2014-15 season.
