Duke Blue Devils Beaten by the ‘Heels at Home

The Duke Blue Devils (7-7, 5-5 ACC) lost their second straight contest, this time to the University of North Carolina Tar Heels (12-6, 7-4 ACC), by a score of 91-87 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham on January 6, 2021. 

Duke fell behind early after a hot start from Carolina’s Kerwin Walton and Garrison Brooks. The pair combined for 11 of the Tar Heels’ first 14 points en route to an early 17-7 advantage. 

Duke was not discouraged by the early deficit, steadily chipping away at the lead with baskets of their own. The Blue Devils managed to keep the deficit around ten points throughout the first ten minutes of action. 

At the 8:11 mark, with the score sitting firmly at 28-18, Jeremy Roach nailed the first of two consecutive three-pointers to cut the lead to 28-24. This sparked a surge for Duke that saw them tie the game at 30 points each in a four-minute span.

UNC was not going to let their lead slip away without a fight, trading baskets with Duke down the stretch to solidify a slim 41-39 advantage at halftime. 

The Blue Devils struggled with turnovers throughout the game, surrendering 25 points to the Tar Heels on these opportunities. 

The second half had a very similar trajectory to the first half. Duke immediately fell behind by twelve points due to a 19-9 Carolina scoring run that notched the score at 60-48. The Blue Devils were forced to battle back again and rose to the challenge. Duke went on a 22-12 run of their own, clawing back to within one possession at a score of 72-70 with 7:25 left to go. 

Both teams continued to exchange baskets until the final waning moments. Duke continually inched closer and closer to the lead but couldn’t ever quite grasp it. The closest they managed to get was 88-87 after a D.J. Steward layup with 20 seconds remaining. This would turn out to be Duke’s final basket of the contest. This is the second time in just as many games that Duke has been within striking distance late and failed to get the job done. The Blue Devils’ postseason hopes are in dire straits after another tough loss.  

The trio of Wendell Moore Jr., Jeremy Roach, and Jalen Johnson combined for 45 of Duke’s 87 points in the contest. This scoring punch was sorely needed as Duke sophomore forward Matthew Hurt struggled to find his rhythm all night prior to fouling out late.

Freshman Guard Jeremy Roach recorded 16 points, five assists, and three steals.

Freshman forward Jalen Johnson had an outstanding shooting night from three-point range, going 2-of-2 from there on the way to a 14 point, five rebounds, and five assist outing. 

Wendell Moore Jr. was on fire from the field, shooting 6-of-9 to add in 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists. 

The game was a close contest for the resilient young Duke Blue Devils who now look ahead to the rest of their season and the dwindling possibility of a postseason berth. 

Duke (7-7, 5-5 ACC) returns to action on February 9th to host Notre Dame (7-9, 4-6 ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC.