Sportswrap: Men's soccer loses in ACC Championship game, basketballs off to hot start

Freshman guard Trevor Keels lit it up in Madison Square Garden with 25 points and a critical layup to close the game.
Freshman guard Trevor Keels lit it up in Madison Square Garden with 25 points and a critical layup to close the game.

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. 8-14.

Men’s basketball 

It was a busy, but successful week for No. 9 Duke which started the season off last Tuesday against No. 10 Kentucky in a primetime matchup in Madison Square Garden. The Blue Devils (3-0) won that one, and took that momentum back to Durham to work past Army and Campbell over the weekend. Freshmen Paolo Banchero and Trevor Keels both impressed this week, and junior Wendell Moore Jr., notched a triple double against Campbell for the fifth ever in Duke history. Duke takes on Gardner-Webb in Cameron Indoor Stadium Tuesday. -Jake Piazza

Women’s basketball 

The Blue Devils showed off the new roster that head coach Kara Lawson constructed largely through the transfer portal, and it’s looked promising. Texas Tech transfer Lexi Gordon got off to a blazing start with her 10-of-20 clip from beyond the arc in her first two games, but its the depth of this year’s team that stood out the most. And even though a lot of these players have yet to play much with each other, the Blue Devils (3-0) are averaging 20.7 assists per game. A lot of that credit can be given to sophomore guard Vanessa de Jesus, who has 17 assists already, and that will all get to be see in action again Sunday against Alabama in Fort Worth, Tex. -Piazza

Football 

In a continuation of their ACC woes, the Blue Devils were unable to get off the schneid on the road against Virginia Tech. Duke (3-7, 0-6 in the ACC) gave up 297 yards on the ground and was unable to take advantage of what little breaks it got in a 48-17 loss to the Hokies. Time is running out for the Blue Devils to pick up a conference win, but they do get a shot at home Thursday against Louisville. -Max Rego

Women’s soccer 

In the first round of the NCAA tournament and in their first game back in nearly two weeks, No. 1-seed Duke needed nearly the full 90 minutes to take down Old Dominion at home. But thanks to a bullet free kick goal from graduate defender Caitlin Cosme with just seconds remaining, the Blue Devils advance on to the second round, where they’ll face Memphis Friday, back at Koskinen Stadium. Should they win that one, they’d encounter a quick turnaround and play at home again Sunday against the winner of St. John’s-Samford. -Jonathan Browning

Men’s soccer 

No. 3-seed Duke lost 2-0 in the ACC tournament Final to No. 5-seed Notre Dame at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. The Blue Devils outshot the Fighting Irish 13-11 and had eight corner kicks to Notre Dame’s four, but ultimately failed to put the ball in the net. Duke looks to make its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2018 with the selection show on Monday November 15 at 1 p.m. The NCAA Championship begins November 18. -Cameron DeChurch

Cross country 

At the NCAA Southeast Regional meet in Louisville, Ky., Duke ran disappointing race to end the season. Michaela Reinhart led the women en route to the team’s 11th place finish while Josh Romine led the men to a narrow sixth-place, only three points behind fifth-placed Charlotte. This is likely the end of the cross country season for the Blue Devils, who will not be participating at the NCAA Championships. -Andrew Long

Volleyball 

Duke dropped to 15-11 (6-9 ACC) Saturday after falling to Boston College, ending its two-game win streak. Despite 23 hitting and 13 serving errors, there were some silver linings in Massachusetts: senior Ade Owokoniran once again proved her worthiness as a six-rotation outside hitter, and the team’s blocking defense improved dramatically, with 20 attempts against Boston College versus only six last Sunday against Virginia Tech. Junior Gracie Johnson led the Blue Devil offense, earning a season-high 22 kills and hitting .340. Duke has two more chances for success on the road, Friday at Louisville and Sunday at Syracuse. -Leah Boyd

Wrestling

Redshirt senior Matt Finesilver paced the Blue Devil squad in the Mountaineer Invitational, winning his weight group to give Duke its only first-place victory of the event. His brother, Josh, came in at third place in his 149-pound division, with junior Jonah Niesenbaum taking back a second place finish in the 285-pound grouping. The Blue Devils head to Bellarmine, Ind., next weekend for the Boilermaker Duals. -Jake Piazza

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