They say the devil is in the details. But in Durham, the Blue Devils are in the details—and numbers.
68
Men’s basketball kickstarted their season Saturday by hosting a blowout exhibition game against Winston-Salem State at Cameron Indoor Stadium, defeating the visiting Rams by 68 points. The match served as a reminder of a powerful Duke team that we saw not too long ago—the 2019 Blue Devils, who defeated Fort Valley State by 69 points in the program's last exhibition game exactly two years prior to Saturday's win.
Saturday was the first time that Duke fans truly saw the starting lineup in action, and with 10 players seeing more than 16 minutes of action, it was evident that head coach Mike Krzyzewski plans to utilize this roster's depth. Freshmen Paolo Banchero and Trevor Keels served as game leaders alongside sophomore Mark Williams, as the trio combined for 47 points with Banchero leading the pack with 21. Sophomore Jeremy Roach and freshman AJ Griffin trailed not too far behind, each putting up 10 points for the Blue Devils.
.844
No. 2 Duke women’s soccer (13-3-1, 7-2-1 in the ACC) finished the regular season this week, beating Louisville 1-0 at Lynn Stadium on Thursday. Ahead of the ACC tournament, the Blue Devils led their past three seasons in win percentages at .844. But in the team's first-round matchup Sunday against Wake Forest—a team the Blue Devils had already beaten this season—the Demon Deacons topped third-seeded Duke, 2-1. Despite strong showings from freshman Michelle Cooper, sophomore Olivia Migli and junior Ruthie Jones, the Blue Devils could not clinch the victory, ending the team's five-game win streak and ACC season with a stunning upset loss. Duke's season, however, should continue at the NCAA tournament, which begins Nov. 12.
16
No. 13 Duke men’s soccer (11-3-1, 5-2-1 in the ACC) also rounded out their regular season Friday with a 3-2 triumph against Virginia at Koskinen Stadium. After Duke recorded the first half's sole goal, the two teams went head-to-head in the second, with Virginia recording two goals to send the game to overtime. Duke eventually pulled through in overtime by way of sophomore Lewis McGarvey's header goal. Despite a close game in the second half, the Blue Devils led offensively, recording 17 shots to the Cavaliers seven.
Heading into this week's ACC tournament, the win gave the Blue Devils an impressive ending to their regular season as ACC Coastal Division Co-Champions. Duke's latest win gave it 16 points, tying Pittsburgh for the most in the division on the last night of the regular season.
27
Duke (3-5, 0-4 in the ACC) lost 45-7 to No. 13 Wake Forest in their most recent outing, but Mataeo Durant—amid his most impressive season yet—led both teams with 103 rushing yards. Despite the team's four-game losing streak, the senior running back has incessantly put in the work for the Blue Devils, totaling 973 rushing yards this season—the most of any Blue Devil since 2002. Duke still has four games left for the Plum Branch, S.C., native to close the 27-yard gap between him and the 1000-yard mark.
8-0
Duke softball defeated Elon 15-0 Friday in their last road game of the fall ball season. Offensively, the Blue Devils, led by sophomore Jala Wright's four RBI's, scored six first-inning runs in the win. Wright also assisted on the defensive side, registering five strikeouts to go along with four combined strikeouts from sophomore Lillie Walker and senior Shelby Walters. Duke, unbeaten throughout the fall slate at 8-0, has one last match at home as it takes on North Carolina A&T Nov. 5.
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