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Sports

Sean Stewart Leads Duke to Win Over NC State

@SpectacularMag

RALEIGH, NC. – A big night from Sean Stewart and Jeremy Roach helped lead the 9th-ranked Duke Blue Devils to a 79-64 victory over the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the PNC Arena. 

NC State came out hot with a 9-0 run. Duke fought back and followed up with an 11-0 run to take the lead. The score remained close as the pace began to pick up halfway through the first half.  

DJ Burns Jr topped his points from the previous two games combined in the first half alone. He finished with 15 points in the first half. 

Burns, Jr led all scorers with a season-high 27 points on 63.1 percent shooting, while also dishing out four assists. Mohamed Diarra added 10 points and grabbed a team-best seven boards for the Pack.

The Blue Devils (24-6, 15-4 ACC) got a team-high 21 points from Jeremy Roach and Sean Stewart turned in a career day, scoring 12 points, blocking a career-high three shots, and reeling in five rebounds.

Duke crashed the glass on the offensive end, grabbing a season-high 19 offensive boards, resulting in 23 second-chance points to tie the team’s season-best (vs. Bucknell).

Much like the first half, the second half started fast and aggressive. The NC State defense started to buckle down and made catches difficult for Duke.  

After a 10-1 run from Duke, the Pack tried to play full-court coverage to challenge the Blue Devils. 

Eventually, NC State started to fall behind and could not catch up as the clock wound down, resulting in a 79-64 victory for the Blue Devils.  

Duke guard Jared McCain poured in 16 total points, including 14 in the second half. The freshman shot 3-of-5 from beyond the arc following the intermission.

Duke captain Jeremy Roach contributed a team-high 21 points, his seventh double-digit scoring performance across his last eight games.

NC State gave up too many second-chance opportunities and points. The Blue Devils had six players rebound the ball in the first half. The Wolfpack struggled to maintain the defense of the Blue Devils. 

The Wolfpack prospered in the paint, scoring 36 points. Part of that success is due to the performance from DJ Burns, who was hard to contain in Monday’s game. Burns led the Pack with 27 points. 

Duke maintained a fast-paced offense throughout the game and accomplished a season-high of 19 offensive rebounds. 

Moving forward, the Pack must get DJ Burns going early and continue to play through him. Once Burns gets going, the offense moves more freely and effectively. The Pack must also limit second-chance opportunities and offensive rebounds for the opposing team. 

Up next, NC State will travel to face the Pittsburgh Panthers on Mar 9 at 7:45 P.M.