Blue Devils Outdueled by Demon Deacons in a Close Contest at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons, unranked and undeterred, edged out the 8-ranked Blue Devils with an 83-79 victory. The home side improved their record while handing the visitors a notch in their loss column. The game was tightly contested, with both teams displaying impressive offensive skills throughout the two halves.
At Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Demon Deacons showcased their offensive efficiency against the Blue Devils. Wake Forest shot an outstanding 60 percent from the field and an impressive 53 percent from beyond the arc. Their two-point attempts were particularly effective, with a conversion rate of 64 percent. Free throws also contributed to their scoring tally as they made 16 out of 22 attempts for a solid 73 percent completion rate.
The home team's ball distribution was noteworthy as well; they tallied up to 14 assists over Duke's 12, demonstrating better teamwork on this occasion. Furthermore, Wake Forest capitalized on turnovers more effectively than Duke did – scoring 14 points off turnovers compared to Duke's eight points.
Defensively, while neither team excelled in blocks – with Wake Forest not registering any – it was steals where Wake Forest had a slight edge over Duke at five to four. This defensive hustle complemented their lower personal foul count of only twelve fouls versus twenty committed by Duke.
Wake Forest also managed its resources better towards the end of play; unlike Duke who had no timeouts remaining, Wake Forest still had one timeout left that could have been crucial if needed in tighter moments.
Despite being outrebounded by eight boards overall (28 for Duke vs. only twenty for Wake Forest), it didn't deter them from securing victory on home turf before an attendance of fourteen thousand seven hundred forty-four fans who witnessed numerous lead changes and ties throughout this conference game.
Looking ahead after this hard-fought win at home against a top-tier opponent like Duke University's Blue Devils, the next challenge for the Demon Deacons will be away against Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend on February twenty-seventh at nine PM Eastern Time. Fans eager to follow can tune into ACC Network for live coverage of what promises to be another exciting matchup as part of college basketball’s regular season action.