The independent news organization of Duke University
Over the three-day event at the par-71 Long Cove Club, Duke was able to improve on its score each round, moving up to 10th place by the end of the event.
With a healthy Duke lineup that featured junior guard Celeste Taylor back on the court and head coach Kara Lawson on the sidelines, the respective star power and leadership that was missing back on Jan. 27’s loss was filled.
Time will tell whether these Blue Devils can be contenders, but Duke is Duke, so don’t expect too much of a drop-off—if there even is one.
The 7-foot-1 center’s dunk was poetry in motion, especially when you consider the adversity the Blue Devils faced with head coach Mike Krzyzewski missing the second half of the game due to an illness.
No. 9 Duke returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium Tuesday to play Wake Forest for the second time this season. Both teams started out with sloppy play, but the Blue Devils ultimate pulled ahead to take a 42-33 lead at the half. Here are five of our observations from the opening period.
“Our goal is to get back onto a win streak. So our win streak now is one and our goal is to continue it and make it grow,” Gordon said.
Akinbode-James stepped up in a big way, registering a career-high 16 points on 5-of-9 field goals along with six rebounds and a team-high two blocks, all in 18 minutes.
While there were little doubts that the Blue Devils would emerge victorious today, the Quakers exposed the many strengths and weaknesses of head coach Kara Lawson's roster ahead of the highly anticipated matchup against No. 1 South Carolina on Dec. 15.
Since tip-off, the Blue Devils never took their foot off the accelerator, zooming past the early 12-4 lead they established within the first few minutes of the game.
Duke's season beings Tuesday, so what do our beats think about this upcoming year?