WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Despite turning the ball over an astounding 15 times, Wake Forest found a way to keep pace with Duke for most of the first half—until foul trouble caught up with it.
Behind a strong effort from Grayson Allen, the Blue Devils hold a 41-30 halftime lead at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Demon Deacons turned the ball over nine times in the first eight minutes, but found themselves down just 19-17 midway through the half behind lights-out shooting from the floor. Wake Forest made seven of its first 10 field goals as it kept pace with the Blue Devils in the paint—towering center Doral Moore poured in 14 points.
But Wake Forest found itself in the double bonus quickly, and Duke eventually took advantage. The Blue Devils have a 26-4 edge in points off turnovers and went on a 22-5 run to push their lead to as many as 17 despite struggling a bit from the line, finishing 9-of-14.
After a strong performance against Pittsburgh in which he displayed his trademark fire for one of the few times this season, Allen has been lights out. Allen dropped 13 points on a 4-of-7 shooting clip, including two 3-pointers. Gary Trent Jr. also added 10 points in a quiet half for Marvin Bagley III, who went just 2-of-5 from the floor.
Here are a few observations from the first half:
- Marques Bolden remains out with a Grade 1 MCL sprain. He was not played since Dec. 30 against Florida State. Javin DeLaurier has yet to make an impact in his second game back from injury, scoring two points in nine minutes.
- Freshman Alex O'Connell has been a spark off the bench once again, helping ignite Duke’s late run and chipping in five points.
- The Demon Deacons have been awful from deep, shooting just 1-of-10 from beyond the arc.
- Duke has had no answer for Moore, who has helped Wake Forest outrebound Duke 22-14.
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Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.