Strong Second Half Guides Duke to Victory over Wake Forest

Matthew Hurt got off to a hot start, scoring nine of Duke’s first 15 points in the first seven minutes of the game. Jordan Goldwire made his presence felt quickly, impacting the game with his defense and distribution on the offensive end. Despite the strong strong start from these two, Duke struggled for the most part as a team.

Duke racked up nine turnovers in the first half, the majority of them unforced. Due in large part to the turnovers and uninspired play in general, Duke could not gain any separation in the half. It was a tight game throughout the entire half with the largest lead for either team in the half being five points.

Wake Forest jumped out to an early 10-5 run to open the second half to regain the lead at 43-42. The teams continued to remain within five points of each other before a bucket from Matthew Hurt put Duke up by seven with 7:35 left. From this point on, it was all Duke. Hurt, Goldwire, Roach, and Steward were all very impressive down the stretch as Duke was able to extend their lead to as many as 13 points, before winning by 11.

Five Observations:

Tight Rotation

Duke went with a very tight rotation in this game. Only six players logged double digit minutes. Baker played eight minutes and Williams played four. This team misses Johnson and Tape. More on that later.

Matthew Hurt’s ACC POY Campaign Continues

The Sophomore turned in another huge performance in this one, coming away with a career high 26 points. In a game where Duke’s offense was struggling, Hurt remained a consistent threat throughout. Without Hurt, Duke would have been in trouble in the first half. These types of games are now expected from Hurt, a sign of how impressive he has been this season.

Duke misses Jalen Johnson and Patrick Tape

Without Jalen Johnson, Duke is without a versatile weapon, both offensively and defensively. Johnson is a guy that can create offensively when this team runs into their reoccurring dry spells. Mark Williams has struggled of late, and Patrick Tape is a guy Duke may need to call upon more often when he is ready to return. Duke certainly misses having him as an option at Center at the moment. The return of these two players will be a huge boost for Duke.

Not getting to the free throw line often

Duke attempted just 10 free throws as a team in this game. This was the fourth game of the season were Duke recorded 10 or fewer free throw attempts as a team. Moving forward, Duke will need to find more reliable ways to get to the free throw line.

Another poor first half, strong second half

The strong second half performances have been great to see, but Duke needs to find a way to improve their first half play. Boston College and Wake Forest are two of the weaker teams in the ACC so Duke was able to overcome their poor starts in these games. Against superior teams, Duke cannot afford to have these slow starts.

Player of the game:

Matthew Hurt. Hurt earns the game ball after pouring in a career high 26 points to go along with six rebounds. He was Duke’s best player from start to finish. Steward, Roach, and Goldwire turned in impressive performances as well.