Mark Mitchell tied his career high with 23 points as No. 9 Duke beat Wake Forest 77-69 on Monday night in Durham, N.C.
Mitchell shot 9-for-14 from the floor and added eight rebounds and two blocks in the third straight win for the Blue Devils (19-5, 10-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Blue Devils are now 29-3 in the sophomore’s career when Mitchell scores in double figures.
Duke was also boosted by 21 points and 10 rebounds from Kyle Filipowski, 17 points and 10 rebounds from Jared McCain, and 12 points and five assists from Jeremy Roach.
Hunter Sallis paced the Demon Deacons (16-8, 8-5) with 22 points, while Andrew Carr had 12 and Parker Friedrichsen had 10.
Despite Wake Forest starting the game 0-for-11 from 3-point range, the visitors kept things close in the first half. Damari Monsanto’s step-back 3-pointer — the Demon Deacons’ second make of the day from long distance — with 7:26 to play in the first half knotted the score at 16-16.
Duke then broke off a 10-3 run, powered by five points from Mitchell, including a thunderous dunk. Wake Forest responded with an 8-1 run, capped by a layup and free throw from Kevin Miller to tie the score at 27-27. A Filipowski jumper gave Duke a two-point advantage at the break.
The score was tied 33-33 before the Blue Devils went on a 7-0 run early in the second half, and they never trailed again.
While the offense was better for both teams after halftime. Duke had more luck finding the basket and took a nine-point lead — its largest of the game — with 4:39 to play on a 3-pointer by Roach. From there, Wake Forest never trimmed the deficit to a single possession.
Carr and Efton Reid III both fouled out for Wake Forest.
The Demon Deacons’ 23.1 shooting percentage from 3-point range (6-for-26) was the team’s second worst of the season.
Duke has now won 25 games in a row against Wake Forest at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
–Field Level Media
