Matthew Hurt’s scoring leads Duke to easy win at NC State
Having suffered through a streak of close losses, Duke avoided that Saturday with a lopsided win over N.C State.
Matthew Hurt hit six 3-pointers while scoring 24 points as the Blue Devils beat the Wolfpack 69-53 in ACC basketball at PNC Arena.
The Blue Devils (8-8, 6-6 ACC), who entered the game with their first losing record since 1999, ended a three-game losing streak. Those three losses had come by a combined total of 10 points.
But against the struggling Wolfpack (8-9, 4-8), the Blue Devils took control of the game in the first half and led by as many as 20 points before intermission.
Hurt was a major part of that, scoring 11 early points including a basket with 10:54 left that put Duke up 21-10. Though Hurt went to the bench for the rest of the first half after picking up his second foul, his absence didn’t slow the Blue Devils.
When Hurt returned for the second half, he kept on pumping in shots as Duke cruised to the easy win. Hurt hit 8 of 10 shots overall, including 6 of 7 3-pointers, and said he found the rhythm he’d lacked in recent games.
“Against UNC (in a loss on Feb. 6) I was playing slow and shooting the ball slow,” Hurt said. “The whole week I worked on getting it off quicker. My teammates did a good job of finding me, whether it was in transition or pick and pop.”
Hurt impressed Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski by improving in that area even after going through tough, physical practices where the Blue Devils focused on improving their defensive play.
“He was quicker than he’s been for over a month today,” Krzyzewski said. “After a couple really hard defensive practices, he seemed more alive today. You know, like, he was quick. He was quick, and he got his shot off quick. And he had a heck of a game.”
Mark Williams added 13 points and DJ Steward 12 for Duke, which shot 52.2% and made 9 of 18 3-pointers (50%).
NC State turned the ball over 18 times and shot 45.1%. The Wolfpack made just 2 of 10 3-pointers. Shakeel Moore led NC State with 13 points while DJ Funderburk and Jericole Hellems each scored 11 points.
Here are the earlier updates from the game:
Second-half update: Duke putting a Hurt on State
Despite missing 10 minutes of the first half with foul trouble, Matthew Hurt’s shooting has Duke in position to end a three-game losing streak.
Hurt hit seven of his first eights shots, including all five of his 3-point attempts, to score 21 points for the Blue Devils, who led NC State 66-44 with 5:45 to play at PNC Arena.
As a team, Duke hit 8 of 12 3-pointers while building that lead. DJ Steward scored 12 points.
The Wolfpack turned the ball over 16 times and Duke amassed 22 points off those turnovers.
Halftime update: Duke takes 18-point halftime lead
Duke’s hot shooting and NC State’s sloppy play allowed the Blue Devils to take a 39-21 lead over the Wolfpack at intermission at PNC Arena.
The Blue Devils hit 13 of 25 shots from the field (52%), including 5 of 8 3-pointers, to lead by as many as 22 points in the first half. Matthew Hurt scored a team-best 11 points for Duke before he picked up his second foul and didn’t play over the final 10:38 of the half.
NC State turned the ball over 13 times in the first half, allowing Duke to score 16 points off those miscues. The Wolfpack shot 9 of 22 (40.9%) in the first half, missing its only two 3-point attempts. No NC State player scored in double figures.
First half update: Hot start by Blue Devils
Duke hit 10 of its first 14 shots, reeling off 14 consecutive points during one stretch, to build a 28-12 lead over NC State with 7:48 to play in the first half.
Matthew Hurt hit his first four shots, including three 3-pointers, to score 11 early points for the Blue Devils. Hurt picked up his second foul with 10:38 left in the half and went to the bench.
But NC State was unable to take advantage. The Wolfpack turned the ball over nine times in the game’s first 11 minutes.
Pregame update
Duke is sticking with the same starting lineup for the third game in a row. The Blue Devils are starting Matthew Hurt, Wendell Moore, DJ Steward, Jeremy Roach and Mark Williams. The Wolfpack starting lineup includes DJ Funderburk, Shakeel Moore, Jericole Hellems, Thomas Allen and Manny Bates.
This story was originally published February 13, 2021 at 4:04 PM.