Duke smashes second ACC opponent straight on the road

Duke used an 18-2 run in the middle of the first half to open a game and cross to an 84-60 victory over Wake Forest on Wednesday night. The win moves Duke back to 0.500 at 9-8 overall, 7-6 ACC and completes a two-game sweep of the season over the deacons.

Many things worked out for the Blue Devils. Matt Hurt continued with his hot hand, hitting 8 of 9 on the field and 3 of 4 beyond the arc. Hurt led everyone with 22 points. In the last two games, Hurt has made 9 of 11 beyond the hoop, something that is not part of the skill set of most 6-9 players.

“It’s a lot about my teammates and my coaches,” said Hurt. “They put me in a great position to score and make my moves. They do most of the work. “

“I never played with a gunner like that,” noted DJ Steward. “He really misses nothing, a lot of crazy pictures.”

Hurt was certainly the beneficiary of an efficient and energetic offense. Blue Devils had 17 assists against just six turnovers, while shooting 54% off the field and 44% in 3s.

“Just trust,” said Hurt. “I think everyone is entering the gym, getting extra injections. . Everyone on this team is altruistic. At the beginning of the season we were prone to rotation and in the last few weeks we counted on not turning the ball, because if we do that, we will be in good shape to win a game. “

But Duke didn’t just win in the attack. Wake Forest entered the game with a gust of wind beyond the bow. They hit 13 trebles against the State of Florida just a few days ago and a comparable performance was their best chance of winning the Blue Devils.

“That was our focus coming in,” said Steward. “We know that they have a lot of good snipers, [Daivien] Williamson,]Jonah]Antonio and [Carter] Whitt, they’re going to fire shots eventually and we just shut them down. “

Wake reached just 7 out of 24 3 points. Antonio made 7 of 8 against Florida State, 1 of 3 against Duke. Whitt went 1 to 4, Ian Dubose 1 to 5.

“We changed our ball screen defense a week ago to better suit this team,” said Mike Krzyzewski, “and our kids really did it well.”

Duke never lost, but the game was tied at 11-11, after Whitt hit just 3 points. Then Duke opened it, holding Wake Forest on a single Dubose tray over 6:34 am. Wake missed four points out of 3 and turned them three times in this stretch.

On the other side of the track, Duke got a big lift from the bench by Jaemyn Brakefield, Jordan Goldwire and Joey Baker, the last of whom overcame a bad fall in the first half to hit 4 of 6 beyond the arc.

“Everyone who played really helped us,” said Krzyzewski. “Jaemyn had that explosion. In fact, I thought he had lost some pictures that he should have taken. . . . Goldwire has been an important guy for us. . . four assists and one rotation, its assistance / rotation ratio is excellent. When he leaves the bank like that, it has been an advantage for us. “

Duke led 45-26 at the break. Wake lost coach Steve Forbes due to a double technical foul, but Duke was already 36-22 when Forbes left.

Hurt scored seven quick points at the start of the second half, stifling any thought of a turnaround. The advantage of the second half never fell below 15 points.

Krzyzewski said he thinks his team has something good going on.

“After all those really difficult and close losses, for these kids to have this great attitude, this work ethic, it says something about them and we just have to continue.”

GRADES

Steward had perhaps his best game in a Duke uniform, 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, no turnovers, 7 out of 12 on the field and closed defense.

Baker (12) and Wendell Moore (11) joined Hurt and Steward in double digits, while Brakefield filled the stats sheet with 7 points. 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a block. Colleague Mark Williams had another solid performance, again a starter, 9 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Therefore, even with the departure of Jalen Johnson, Duke is still receiving production from his freshmen.

Speaking of Johnson, Hurt, Steward and Krzyzewski, everyone had positive things to say about the opt-out.

“He’s a brother to these guys,” said Krzyzewski, adding, “I’m a coach because of the players. These children should have the option to do what they want. Let’s give them our guidance and talk to them about it. I am 100 percent behind him. “

Ody Oguma led the Wake Forest with 14 points, while Williamson added 12 and Dubose 10.

Duke overtook Wake 37-28 and kept deacons at 39 percent of the field shots.

Then Virginia, Saturday night at Cameron, a chance to win the signature that could polish Duke’s hopes for the NCAA. If it is touched. Fingers crossed and masks.