WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Duke's first conference road game also marked another first—the first time an opponent has legitimately challenged the Blue Devils this season.
Despite this challenge from a scrappy, upset-minded Wake Forest squad, No. 2 Duke maintained among the nation's three undefeated teams by defeating the Demon Deacons 73-65 at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum Wednesday night.
"We have a lot of young guys, so playing at this level of intensity in a conference game on the road is something that they have not experienced," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "There's a sense of urgency with every ACC game that you can't manufacture—you have to experience it."
As the momentum shifted back-and-forth throughout the second half, Duke finally seized control when sophomore guard Matt Jones stroked a 3-pointer with 2:26 remaining to give the Blue Devils a 64-59 lead. Freshman Tyus Jones sliced through the lane and finished off the glass less than a minute later, padding Duke's lead and sending Krzyzewski leaping off the bench.
The eight-point victory marked the first time the Blue Devils (14-0, 2-0 in the ACC) had defeated an opponent by single digits this season. Following the 997th win of his coaching career, Krzyzewski was unsurprised that the Demon Deacons had taken his second-ranked squad down to the wire.
"We have no illusion of us being this juggernaut team," he said. "We think we're a really good group of guys that have played well."
Freshman Justise Winslow led the way for the Blue Devils with a career-high 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Winslow hit key shot after key shot for Duke in the second half, expanding his team's lead to five with a three-point play with 8:21 remaining.
The Houston native also hit back-to-back 3-pointers after Wake Forest (8-8, 0-3) had started the second half on a 7-2 run to tie the contest at 34.
"At times when your team needs to be lifted up, someone has to step up, and today I did a little bit of that, along with others," Winslow said. "I think games like this are good for you, especially when you're able to come out with a W, but there's a lot we can learn from our mistakes and try to get better."
The Demon Deacons opened the game on a 6-0 run, holding the lead for 3:54. Prior to Wednesday's contest, the Blue Devils had trailed for just 6:13 in their first 13 wins combined.
A team headlined by freshmen, who were playing their first-ever ACC road game, Duke responded with a 12-2 run to soften Wake Forest's opening blow.
"A young team usually would fold and give in to that momentum, and guys made big plays," senior guard Quinn Cook said. "In the ACC, everybody gives you their best shot every night."
Wake Forest preyed on Duke's defensive interior, scoring 22 of its 27 first-half points inside the paint. Junior forward Devin Thomas led the way for the Demon Deacons with a game-high 24 points, most of which came at the expense of freshman center Jahlil Okafor.
"He got the best of me tonight," said Okafor of Thomas. "He played with a lot of energy."
Fresh off a career-high 28 points in his first ACC game against Boston College, Okafor was bottled up for most of the game by an aggressive Demon Deacon defense. The freshman from Chicago was held without a field goal for the game's first 15:18 but made key buckets inside down the stretch to finish with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
After coasting through nonconference play with relative ease, Wednesday's contest was one of the first times of the season that the inexperience of Duke's young players showed. The Blue Devils committed 14 turnovers and allowed 20 fast break points, but every time the raucous Wake Forest crowd had Duke's back against the wall a new player hit a big shot.
With their unblemished record still in tact, the Blue Devils will face another in-state road battle when the team takes on N.C. State Sunday at 1 p.m. Fresh off the young team's first significant growing pains of the season, Duke appears to be embracing the opportunity to struggle along with the opportunity to grow.
"The only way you figure it out is to go through competition," Krzyzewski said.
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