Duke Blue Devils Plunge Coastal Carolina
DURHAM, N.C.- The No. 2 Duke Blue Devils put together an overwhelming performance Thursday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, demolishing them 113-52 and improving their record to 2-0.
Duke looked every bit like a nationally ranked powerhouse, beginning the game on a dominant 16-0 run and holding the Chanticleers scoreless until a layup at the 14:00 mark. Duke’s ability to spread the scoring around made it difficult for Coastal Carolina to slow down their attack. The Blue Devils capitalized on second-chance opportunities, scoring in the paint and building an overwhelming gap on the scoreboard. They showed how relentless they can be on the boards, along with outstanding shooting efficiency and swarming, physical defense. Duke dominated both ends of the floor, building a commanding 54-18 lead at halftime.
The Blue Devils added another 59 points in the second half, continuing to overwhelm Coastal Carolina with their offensive firepower, defensive pressure, and athleticism. Duke’s defensive intensity never let up; they remained consistent and disciplined throughout the second half. The Blue Devils’ pressure forced Coastal Carolina to struggle to find open looks, and they finished the night shooting just 30.2% from the field.
Patrick Ngongba II had an outstanding night; he led the team in scoring, finishing with a career-high 28 points (10-for-13) and nine rebounds. He was nearly unstoppable around the basket, getting second-chance shots and even connecting on back-to-back three-pointers.
Cayden Boozer shined as well, finishing with 11 points (5-for-6), a career-high 12 assists, three rebounds, and three steals. I asked Cayden how it felt to get a career-high in assists he responded “I feel great, coming into the game Coach Jayce McCain challenged me to get 10 assists so that’s something I definitely had in my mind, when I’m passing up the ball like that and getting our other great players involved it’s makes our team a lot better, it’s definitely something I’ll be trying to do a lot more moving forward”.
Caleb Foster and John Blackwell scored 15 points apiece, contributing heavily by connecting on shots from beyond the three-point line. Duke had five players score in double figures, including Dame Sarr, who finished with 12 points.
Duke controlled every major aspect of the game, scoring inside, knocking down perimeter shots and applying relentless defensive pressure. The Blue Devils showed why they are amongst the nation’s top teams on the offensive and defensive end by shooting 61.3% from the field, 50% from three-pointers, 25 assists, 52 points in the paint, 53 rebounds, 27 fast-break points, and 27 points off turnovers. Duke will now turn their attention to the State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday, November 10th, when they face No. 6 Michigan State in Chicago, Illinois, at 7:00pm.