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. 6-12:
Men’s basketball
A Monday warm-up against Dartmouth gave way to an instant classic against Arizona Friday for the second-ranked Blue Devils, who officially got underway in 2023-24 this week. Duke (1-1) ran all over the Big Green after a close first few minutes behind double-digit scoring from four different players, led by sophomore center Kyle Filipowski with 25. The Westtown, N.Y., native carried that into the Friday blockbuster against the 12th-ranked Wildcats, putting up an identical number of points. Senior Jeremy Roach tacked on 17 points of his own, but the Blue Devils fell just short for the first loss of their season. Up next is another must-see matchup Tuesday with preseason No. 4 Michigan State in Chicago. -Andrew Long
Women’s basketball
Duke officially started its season this week, winning both of its regular-season matchups before falling to Team USA in an exhibition Sunday. The Blue Devils (2-0) opened with a 83-53 defeat of Richmond, aided by 28 points from junior guard Reigan Richardson and 22 from freshman guard Oluchi Okananwa. Duke followed this up with another home victory against Coastal Carolina, putting away the Chanticleers behind 14 3-pointers, and five from sophomore guard Ashlon Jackson. In the final contest of the week, the Blue Devils fell to the Americans 87-58, but stayed competitive for the majority of the game. Transfer guard Taina Mair led the way with 16 points and five rebounds. Duke (2-0) next takes on Columbia in New York Tuesday. -Ranjan Jindal
Football
It was a heartbreaker of epic proportions. Duke was down early after a slow first quarter, but fought back to enter the halftime break at just a two-point deficit, 16-14. In the second half, it seemed like the Tar Heels were going to run away with it, stretching their lead to 12. Then the Blue Devils (6-4, 3-3 in the ACC) decided to make it a game. Graduate running back Jordan Waters scored two quick touchdowns to give his team the lead, and then the two Triangle squads traded scores until North Carolina kicker Noah Burnette made a 43-yard field goal as regulation expired to send the game to overtime, which it took in the second period on a missed Blue Devil 2-point conversion. Drake Maye was the star of the show with 342 yards passing, but Duke freshman Grayson Loftis stepped up with four total touchdowns. The Blue Devils head up to Virginia Saturday to take on the Cavaliers. -Rachael Kaplan
Field hockey
No. 3 Duke continues to make history and set records. For the first time since 2015, the Blue Devils (18-4, 5-1) are headed to the NCAA Final Four. After a 2-1 first-round win against American Friday afternoon, they faced Syracuse Sunday afternoon. While the Orange scored first on an unassisted goal, a penalty stroke from sophomore Alaina McVeigh allowed Duke to tie it up. Only 40 seconds into the second half, a shot from just inside the 25-yard line by Kira Curland was barely redirected by graduate student Hannah Miller, giving Duke a 2-1 lead. With the win against Syracuse, Duke hits 18 wins in a season for only the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2005. The Blue Devils next face No. 2-seed Northwestern in the semifinals Friday in Chapel Hill to see if they can continue to make history. -Anna Newberry
Cross country
At the NCAA Southeast Regional Friday, Amina Maatoug earned her ticket to the NCAA Championships in the women’s 6k. With a 19:41.06 time — just 11.1 seconds behind her personal best — she came in second place, once again on the heels of N.C. State’s speedy Katelyn Tuohy. That finish headlined a sixth-place spot for the women’s team; the men’s side came in seventh overall. Seniors Austin Gabay and Jared Kreis led the Blue Devil men with personal bests of 29:58.4 and 29:58.8, respectively. Duke awaits more championship bids for the national final Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. -Sophie Levenson
Volleyball
The Blue Devils only had one matchup this week as they faced No. 5 Louisville Friday evening on the road. The Cardinals broke Duke’s five-game winning streak as they defeated the Blue Devils (17-9, 8-7) in straight sets, 3-0. Past records were not on Duke’s side, either, as it has now lost 10 consecutive contests against Louisville. The Blue Devils were led in the match by Kerry Keefe and Gracie Johnson as they got 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Duke also posted its best offensive competition in the third set, but ultimately fell 25-2s to surrender the match. It was the team’s least efficient offensive game since Oct. 20 against Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils will hope to rebound from the defeat as they stay on the road to take on Virginia Friday. -Newberry
Wrestling
Duke bounced back after a disappointing opening weekend in California. The Blue Devils (2-4) went 2-1 during their triple-header in Morgantown, W.Va., over the weekend, falling to West Virginia 40-6 but earning their first wins of the season in their 19-16 defeat of Cleveland State and 24-17 victory against Kent State. Sophomore captain Gaetano Console was particularly impressive, picking up the first ranked victory of his career over Peyton Hall of West Virginia. Additionally, veterans Logan Agin, Jarred Papcsy, Jack Wimmer and Conor Becker finally began to reap the rewards of their dedication to the program, each contributing significantly to Duke’s two victories. The Blue Devils will look to build on this momentum in the Keystone Classic at Penn next weekend. -Rodrigo Amare
Rowing
It was the conclusion of the fall schedule for Duke, which traveled up to Virginia to compete in the Rivanna Romp. There, the Blue Devils posted a solid showing, headlined by a third-place finish in the Varsity Eight event, where Duke’s A crew was coxxed by senior Ithika Senthilnathan to a 13:17.8 finish time. Another bright spot came in the Novice Eight competition, where the Blue Devils posted a 13:44.1 time to claim first place. The squad from Durham did not fare so well in the Varsity Fours however, as the top Duke boat finished in fourth place with a time of 14:44.8, behind three Cavalier crafts. Now, the Blue Devils head into the long winter offseason before returning to action in the spring. -Martin Heintzelman
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