Duke blows past Western Carolina in home opener
Duke wasted little time in blowing past Western Carolina for a 95-54 win in its home opener Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils (2-0) went on a 17-0 early run in the first half, turning an 8-6 lead into a 25-6 game. No. 6 Duke had another 8-0 spurt later in the first half.
There was a 12-0 run in the second half. That brings Duke’s total to three “kill shots” this season — a stat tracked on EvanMiya defined as a run of at least 10 straight points. The Blue Devils started the second half of Tuesday night’s opener against Texas on a 10-0 run.
Cameron Boozer picked up where he left off against the Longhorns. The freshman forward led Duke with 25 points and eight rebounds, and his five assists matched a team high. He didn’t have a turnover and made 4 of 9 3-pointers.
His brother, Cayden Boozer, also had five assists. The freshman guard had 14 points and seven rebounds, too, committing two of Duke’s 10 turnovers.
Joining them in double-figure scoring were Duke’s pair of centers, Patrick Ngongba II and Maliq Brown. Perhaps more importantly, after both of them fouled out against Texas — they each finished the game with one foul.
Duke had 21 assists on 30 field goals. Western Carolina (0-2) turned the ball over 14 points, leading to 21 points by Duke. The Blue Devils got out in transition for 20 fast-break points.
TIP-INS …
– Freshman Sebastian Wilkins was the only player on Duke’s roster who did not play. Coach Jon Scheyer said after the game that the plan is for Wilkins to redshirt.
That would effectively put him back in the high school class he was in. Wilkins reclassed to join the Blue Devils a year early.
– This was the first of three straight games against low- or mid-major teams for Duke. Next up is a trip to West Point, N.Y., for a game at Army on Tuesday night.
– Cord Stansberry, Western Carolina’s leading scorer with 23 points against Cincinnati earlier this week, had seven points on 3-for-14 shooting against Duke.
The Catamounts’ leading scorer was Julien Soumaoro, with 14 points. He made 4 of 8 3-pointers.
