Duke 80, Wake Forest 62 (Final): With the game's outcome all but decided, Amile Jefferson, Alex Murphy and Marshall Plumlee continued to battle for future minutes, not allowing the Demon Deacons an open shot. Plumlee added an exclamation point to the end of the game by swatting a shot off the backboard and allowing for Tyler Thorton to dribble the ball out in front an excited Cameron Craize student section.
Duke 75, Wake Forest 60 (3:16, Second Half): Mason Plumlee notched his ACC-leading ninth double-double of the year, after pouring in 11 points and six rebounds in the second-half. The Blue Devils continued to keep the Demon Deacons at bay by knocking down their free throws and forcing Wake Forest into more difficult shots.
Duke 67, Wake Forest 48 (7:46, Second Half): Marshall Plumlee was the Blue Devils' catalyst coming out of the timeout, as he had his jersey torn while fighting for a loose ball, grabbed a couple rebounds and even scored his first career points on a fast break layup. After the jersey was ripped, he was replaced by his brother Mason, but not before the crowd cheered him off. Alex Murphy and Amile Jefferson were also on the floor battling for minutes as the game moved into garbage time.
Duke 65, Wake Forest 40 (11:14, Second Half): Just as Wake Forest came out looking to increase the intensity, the Blue Devils came out of the timeout with a similar goal. Seth Curry drew a charge, Plumlee knocked down his free throws. But it was Rasheed Sulaimon who was the Blue Devils' catalyst, as he forced a Demon Deacons' turnover, converted on a slashing drive, and made a wrap-around pass to Josh Hariston in transition for the layup. Even Alex Murphy was in on the Blue Devils' offensive attack, hitting a reverse-layup after beating his man to the basket.
Duke 58, Wake Forest 36 (15:45, Second Half): Wake Forest started the half by increasing their intensity and looked to speed up the game's tempo on both ends of the floor in hopes that they would find easier shots than they were able to in the first half. This intensity did not last long, as the Blue Devils went on a 12-0 run, started by Seth Curry and Rasheed Sulaimon cutting to the basket for easy layups. With Wake Forest trying to take away the lane, Ryan Kelly added his fifth 3-pointer of the game but then had to go the bench with his fourth foul.
Duke 41, Wake Forest 30 (Halftime): Duke went the last four minutes of the first half without hitting a shot from the field. Prior to that, the Blue Devils played great team basketball, as they started the game with 12 field goals on 12 assists. Foul trouble was a problem for both teams, as each was in the bonus by the 7-minute mark. Duke made 8-of-11 free throws with two of the misses coming from Mason Plumlee who also struggled from the field, with only two points in the first half to go along with his five rebounds.
Duke 38, Wake Forest 21 (3:53, First Half): Coming out of the timeout, the Demon Deacons looked to spread the ball around in hopes of producing some easier shots. The Blue Devils, who had struggled with offensive rebounding earlier in the season, grabbed two in one possession, resulting in a Seth Curry baseline jumpshot. Wake Forest and Duke both have had a problem holding on to the ball, with both teams committing nine and four turnovers, respectively. Although the Blue Devils' turnover numbers are not as staggering, Duke has had a lot of loose balls on the offensive end that they've been able to corral. Seth Curry sparked the crowd's enthusiasm, hitting a 3-pointer while getting fouled and then draining the free throw.
Duke 29, Wake Forest 19 (7:56, First Half): Out of a Wake Forest timeout, Tyler Thornton kept the Blue Devil 3-point barrage going with a deep three of his own. Marshall Plumlee got some early playing time, but was forced back to the bench after two fouls and a missed hook shot at the rim. Sloppy ball handling continued to be an issue for both teams, with failed lob passes from the Blue Devils and a back-to-back Wake Forest turnovers due to offensive fouls on 6-foot-9 freshman Tyler Cavanaugh. Ultimately, though, the Duke transition offense enabled them to build on their lead heading into the eight-minute media timeout.
Duke 19, Wake Forest 14 (12:36, First Half): Wake Forest took advantage of a couple Duke turnovers, but the Blue Devils managed to hold the Demon Deacons to one bucket off their loose ball handling. On the defensive end, the Blue Devils allowed Wake to continually get deep in the lane, where the Demon Deacons had an easy shot and a kick-out three. Ryan Kelly knocked down two more 3-pointers to swing the momentum back to Duke.
Duke 10, Wake Forest 7 (15:31, First Half ): Ryan Kelly used his height to his advantage, as he was guarded by the smaller Codi Miller-McIntyre and continued his hot streak from the Davidson game. The Demon Deacons ran the pick-and-roll to perfection several times, allowing them to put up several easy layups and keep up with the 3-point shooting of Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly, who each drained a transition 3-pointer.
Projected Starters:
Duke: Quinn Cook, Seth Curry, Rasheed Sulaimon, Ryan Kelly, Mason Plumlee
Wake Forest: Codi Miller-McIntyre, C.J. Harris, Travis McKie, Arnaud William Adala Moto, Devin Thomas
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