Sportswrap is your one-stop shop for everything Duke athletics, where we’ll recap how each of Duke’s sports currently in competition performed over the last week and give a brief look ahead. Here’s our recap for the week of Nov. 15-22.
Women’s soccer
Duke had itself a weekend. In the second round of the NCAA tournament, the Blue Devils navigated past Memphis behind a first-half goal from Delaney Graham and a smothering possession, ironing out the weaknesses that had been present against Old Dominion. In their quickest turnaround of the season, playing just two days after the Memphis game, Duke thrashed Saint John’s in the Sweet Sixteen, riding an offensive barrage to a 7-1 win that featured five different goalscorers. The Blue Devils will return to Koskinen Stadium the Friday after Thanksgiving, where they’ll face defending-champion Santa Clara in their last game before a potential College Cup appearance. -Jonathan Browning
Men’s soccer
The outlook was grim for 86 minutes during Duke’s first game in the NCAA tournament. UCLA held on to a 1-0 lead and just minutes remained on the clock, until Lewis McGarvey broke through with a goal in the 87th minute. And just one minute later, Peter Stroud added a goal of his own to take a hard-fought game and send Duke to the Sweet Sixteen against Saint Louis next Saturday. -Jake Piazza
Men’s basketball
Duke continued its homestand this past week, beating Gardner-Webb and Gonzaga by over 30 points in each game. Six different Blue Devils (5-0) scored double-digit points against Gardner-Webb, and five different players did the same against Lafayette, further showing off just how deep this team is. Wendell Moore Jr.'s torrid pace continued, although Mark Williams and AJ Griffin's performances this week had to have been the most welcoming sight for Duke fans. Williams recorded his first double-double of the year against Lafayette, and Griffin notched four 3-pointers en route to an 18-point performance. -Piazza
Women’s basketball
Duke narrowly outfought a resilient Alabama team 74-71 to claim its fourth-straight win in Fort Worth, Texas. The Blue Devils (4-0) were once again led by junior Celeste Taylor, whose 21 points carried the offense in addition to Shayeann Day-Wilson’s 11 points and Jade Williams’ 14 points. Duke endured a scary third quarter that saw Alabama take an unexpected lead and won it in the final seconds of the fourth quarter with a Williams put-back. The team returns home this Wednesday to face Appalachian State. -Andrew Long
Football
It’s not getting any better for Duke, as the Blue Devils lost 62-22 to Louisville Thursday night. Cardinal quarterback Malik Cunningham put up video game numbers, ending with 527 total yards and seven touchdowns. There was really no silver lining for the Blue Devils (3-8, 0-7), but they will have a chance to avoid going winless in ACC play for the first time in the David Cutcliffe era if they can beat Miami Saturday. -Piazza
Swimming and diving
Duke had a short road trip to the Greensboro Aquatic Center over the weekend for the Wolfpack Invitational, where the women’s side placed third and the men’s side came in at fourth. Ali Watson had the best individual performance of the weekend, taking home first-place honors in the women’s platform. Seamus Harding Jr., placed second in the men’s platform, and Sarah Foley broke the Duke school record for the 200-yard breaststroke.The squad will take a break until Jan. 8 for the Queens University of Charlotte. -Piazza
Wrestling
The Blue Devils had their first head-to-head matches of the year, and they won two out of three over the weekend. Duke (2-1) beat Bellarmine 35-10 and Northern Illinois 25-17, but came up short of a perfect weekend when it fell to No. 20 Purdue in the final match Sunday. Up next, the Blue Devils head to College Park, Md., to take on Maryland and Drexel Dec. 4. -Piazza
Volleyball
Duke was swept by No. 1 Louisville Friday but rebounded Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Syracuse. The Blue Devils (6-12, 7-10) struggled offensively against the Cardinals, hitting .028 against Louisville’s phenomenal .547 hitting percentage and accumulating 21 errors. But the Blue Devils can play with grit; though they were down 5-14 in the first set against Syracuse, they mustered a 9-0 run to come back and ultimately won the set. Senior Ade Owokoniran led the team in kills both games, earning seven Friday and 16 against Syracuse. Duke plays its final game of the regular season Friday against UNC at home. -Leah Boyd
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Jake Piazza is a Trinity senior and was sports editor of The Chronicle's 117th volume.
Leah Boyd is a Pratt senior and a social chair of The Chronicle's 118th volume. She was previously editor-in-chief for Volume 117.
Andrew Long is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 119th volume.