At gut check time, facing serious challenge, how Duke basketball pulled out a win at Wake
Wake Forest’s home crowd, yet to see its beloved Demon Deacons lose at Joel Coliseum this season, found its full throat crescendo Saturday.
No. 2 Duke’s stroll through the ACC season hit a speed bump in the form of lackluster offense to the tune of 13 consecutive misses and 1 of 19 shooting to start the second half.
Its 15-point first half lead was gone, vaporized amid turnovers and shots clanking off the rim.
Wake Forest led by six points and a third consecutive win over Duke in Winston-Salem looked probable.
Just like that, with a flick of Cooper Flagg’s wrist on a fadeaway jumper and the sureness of Mason Gillis’ stroke on a pair of 3-pointers, the Blue Devils reversed the game again and toughed out a 63-56 win.
On a day when they shot just 36.8% and had more turnovers (16) than assists (14) in game for the first time this season, the Blue Devils (17-2, 9-0 ACC) walked off the court firmly atop the ACC standings and owning the nation’s longest winning streak at 13 in a row.
“I think the response for us was huge,” said Flagg, who scored 24 points to pace Duke. “It was great for us to kind of feel it. We haven’t been in a ton of those positions throughout this year, so I thought it was a big opportunity for us to kind of show that we can stay composed, and even when they make a run, just stay level headed.”
This was a challenge unlike any Duke had faced this season. Yes, the Blue Devils suffered a pair of November losses. But the 77-72 setback to Kentucky in Atlanta on Nov. 12 and a 75-72 loss to Kansas in Las Vegas on Nov. 26 came on neutral courts.
Winning a game like this required a different level of toughness, especially when the sold-out crowd at Joel Coliseum grew its loudest as the Demon Deacons took a 45-39 lead with 9:55 to play.
“I think that’s the hardest thing in basketball,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said, “when you’re up big, somewhat big, and then a team takes the lead and you have to claw your way back. So I think that speaks to just the toughness of this team, the character. I have such trust in these guys with their toughness down the stretch.”
Scheyer’s decision to switch to a zone defense in the second half, after Wake had made 6 of its first 11 shots to fuel its comeback, proved deft. The Blue Devils had hardly practiced it, let alone used it in games. But they worked a little zone in the week prior to Saturday’s game and it worked.
Even with that, the Blue Devils had to find their groove on offense again. They had been on a tremendous heater, shooting 50% or better in seven consecutive games prior to Saturday. Missing 18 of their first 19 shots after halftime certainly jarred them.
But they believed. First, they were confident their defense wouldn’t let Wake get too far in front. Second, they were certain they’d finally start hitting some shots.
“Stay together. Stay composed. Get it done.” Those were the messages Duke freshman Kon Knueppel said the team’s veteran players, like Mason Gillis and Tyrese Proctor, told the team in their darkest times on Saturday.
For roughly a five-minute stretch, from Flagg’s fadeaway jumper at 8:09 to the freshman superstar’s two free throws at 3:52 with a Gillis 3-pointer in the middle of thatf, Duke outscored Wake 14-2 to build a 53-47 lead.
The Deacs never drew closer than four points the rest of the game.
“At first, I don’t think we showed our poise, but we got there, and that’s all that matters,” Gillis said. “You know, throughout the course of the game, you just got to still stick to our details, play to our standard, and through the course of the game, averages play out. And so, you know, if we keep doing what we’re supposed to do, help each other out, doing our jobs, good things happen.”
This situation is why Scheyer sought veteran players through the transfer portal last spring and summer. As talented as freshmen Flagg,Knueppel and fellow freshman Khaman Maluach are in their lone college seasons before becoming NBA draft picks, they’d never faced a situation like Duke faced on Saturday.
Gillis had, though. He’s in his fifth season of college basketball, having played four seasons at Purdue before coming to Duke last summer. He was the Big Ten Conference sixth man of the year last season when he helped Purdue reach the NCAA Tournament’s championship game.
January wins don’t necessarily assure March success. But the lessons learned while winning games like Duke won on Saturday figure to pay dividends during the NCAA tournament, when the Blue Devils will aim for the prize they crave the most.
“I think everything we’re doing right now we’re getting ready for March,” Gillis said, “and, so, that was a March-style game right there. Just being able to make adjustments, see how the game is playing out, do what we needed to do to be able to get the W and that’s all that matters.”
This story was originally published January 26, 2025 at 7:00 AM.