Wake Forest managed to keep up with Duke for the first seven minutes of the game. After the opening few minutes, Duke resembled the team that soundly beat NC State days prior.
With the game tied at eight a piece, Jaemyn Brakefield sparked Duke with a personal 7-3 run to put Duke ahead 15-11. Duke would continue to pour it on from this point forward. Duke’s hot three point shooting and energized defense continued to enable Duke to build the lead throughout the half.
Frustration continued to mount for Wake Forest. At the 3:18 mark, Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes was ejected after yelling at an official. Shortly after, Duke extended its lead to 19 points, their largest lead of the half. Duke would take a 19 point into the half.
Duke continued their excellent play in the second half. The half started with a flurry of Matthew Hurt made jumpers as Duke increased their lead. At the 14:14 mark, a Jeremy Roach jumper extended Duke’s lead to 23, the largest lead of the game up until that point.
A Jordan Goldwire drive and dish to Mark Williams for the and one pushed Duke’s lead to 26. This was one of the best plays of the night for Duke and embodied the night as a whole. The good times were rolling.
The rest of the game was window dressing. Duke built an insurmountable lead and cruised to victory. The final score was 84-60.
Five Observations
Jaemyn Brakefield
Jaemyn Brakefield was excellent in this game. His seven consecutive points early in the first half sparked Duke and he was impacting the game in ways other than scoring as well. Brakefeld was active on the glass, pulling down four rebounds. He also recorded a season high four assists and blocked a shot. Brakefield provided energy from the moment he entered the game and played one of his best games of the season.
Ball movement
Duke’s ball movement was a joy to watch. They were routinely finding the open man and making the extra pass throughout. The offense had a flow to it that has not been seen with much regularity this season. Duke was finding the open man with ease. The team finished with 17 assists on the night.
Defense
This game provided further evidence that Duke may have turned a corner defensively. The team has looked like as if they transformed overnight on the defensive end of the floor in the last two games. The defensive effort was again tremendous. It seems as though giving up 93 points to Notre Dame woke this team up defensively.
Three point shooting
Duke’s hot three point shooting continued tonight. After shooting 44% from three in this game, Duke has shot at least 44 % from the three point line in each of the last four games. Joey Baker led Duke with four made threes.
Lack of turnovers
Of all the impressive stats for Duke tonight, their lack of turnovers may be the most impressive. Duke turned the ball over just six times on the night. Duke was making smart decisions and did an excellent job protecting the ball. A welcomed sight, as turnovers have been a major issue in several games this season.
Player of the game: Matthew Hurt
Matthew Hurt was marvelous in this one. The Star Sophomore finished with 22 points and four rebounds and shot 8/9 from the field. His hot shooting played a large role in ensuring Wake Forest never had any chance to come back.