BLACKSBURG, VA—Another test also passed.
After a reversal in the first half, the second period continued to be a back-and-forth battle, although the score did not show up. In the end, it was No. 7 Duke and his all-around offensive effort and excellence from beyond the arc that put the Blue Devils on top his 77-67.
Senior captain Jeremy Roach hasn't come off the bench often (only once since Saturday, Jan. 23, 2023 against Clemson), but his ankle appears to have healed. The guard led the team with 16 points on 4-of-5 3-point shooting, capping a night in which the Blue Devils shot 52.9 percent (16-4, 7-2 in the ACC).
Duke's foul trouble was rampant again. Filipowski scored his fourth goal with over eight minutes left, all called in the second half. The Blue Devils' frontcourt depth is limited, so graduate Ryan Young and sophomore Mark Mitchell had to handle most of the second half.
Young also fulfilled his duties off the bench. After he was brought down off the dribble by Mailjael Poteet with less than seven games remaining, he scurried back and made a clean block over the 6-foot-9 forward. He was effective on the offensive glass with five boards and had two assists, which is rare for him.
After Roach's charge ruined the Blue Devils' chances, Mitchell started working on the defensive end. He took a pass from MJ Collins and passed it to Roach, who kicked the pass to an open McCain outside the arc. The first graders did a drill. On Duke's next possession, Roach received his second offensive foul of the day (third overall). Shortly after a Roach turnover, Catur made a 3-pointer and scored three points on the next opportunity. From Kattoa's 3-pointer to Filipovski's free throw just under 11 minutes into the game, both teams missed just one shot, and both were 3-pointers. He only made three of his makes from the floor without an assist. Both offenses continued to attack and nothing seemed to get in their way.
The Hokies (13-8, 5-5) were called for only two fouls in the first 20 minutes, but picked up three fouls in the first four minutes of the second period, leading to Filipovski's first free throw attempt of the game. sent to the line. . The sophomore's struggles from the line continued. After going 5-for-11 against Clemson, Filipovski finished the night with 6-for-9 hits.
With a comfortable lead and less than five minutes left in the first period, Duke looked to be in control. Mitchell, whose three consecutive possessions were stopped by travel, missed passes or turnovers, found space in the paint and made two standout dunks there. But then he turned it over two more times. By the end of the first half, Mitchell had committed six of the Blue Devils' eight turnovers. He was ejected from the game in the final few scenes. Morris and his guys continued to try for a comeback, but as time expired, Roach silenced a roaring Cassel Coliseum with a second-chance triple.
It was all Duke until midway through the first period. literally. Six and a half minutes into the game, Foster made his second 3-pointer of the day, giving the Blue Devils a 10-0 victory. More than five minutes later, Sean Pedula ended the scoring drought with two free throws, but it took another 90 seconds for Kidd to find a lane and start attacking.
It was a tough start for the Blue Devils. Filipovski's first layup bounced off the rim and Mitchell grabbed the offensive board, but his attempt to get back up was thwarted. On the next possession, Proctor missed a jumper up the middle and Kidd jumped Filipovski before slamming it home to give the Hokies an early 4-0 lead. Foster was the first to help stop the bleeding, hitting a long 2 to finally get his team on the board.
Foster was the only player to show any shooting touch early on, making his first three shots from the floor, two of which resulted in three-goal hits.
This wasn't the first threatening road environment the Blue Devils have faced so far this season, and it certainly won't be the last. He will also get a day off before Duke drives to its first rivalry showdown of the year against No. 3 North Carolina State.
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| Sports Editor-in-Chief
Rachel Kaplan is a junior at Trinity and the sports editor for Issue 119 of The Chronicle.
