Mitchell, Foster help No. 9 Duke push past Notre Dame 71-53 to regroup from UNC loss
Raleigh, North Carolina (AP) – After a heartbreaking rivalry loss, Jon Scheyer got more of the energy he desired from his ninth-ranked Duke team, even though the Blue Devils barely played at a high level when they defeated Notre Dame 71-53 on Wednesday night.
The second-year coach remarked, “I thought it was great to get a win without necessarily playing our best on offence.”
Following a 93-84 loss to No. 3 North Carolina, the Blue Devils (17-5, 8-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) were disappointed with Scheyer’s team’s inability to match the Tar Heels’ intensity, which included diving on the court for loose balls.
On Wednesday night in Durham, North Carolina, No. 9 Duke defeated visiting Notre Dame 71-53, with rookie Caleb Foster coming off the bench to score 13 points and the team controlling the game for the most part.For Duke (17-5, 8-3 ACC), which is now ranked third in the league, Tyrese Proctor scored nine points, Mark Mitchell finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals.Just four nights after losing to rival North Carolina in a Top 10 match, the Blue Devils were fired up. Following the break, Duke’s defense completed the task, limiting the Irish to 16 points in the first 12 minutes of the second half.With more than eight minutes remaining, Duke progressively increased their lead to 18 points.
Did Duke Beat Notre Dame 71-53? Freshman Caleb Foster, who finished with 13 points, stated, “He just let it be known that it is not acceptable and it’s not the way we’re going to play the rest of the season.” The Blue Devils, led by Foster’s layup, Foster’s jumper, and Mark Mitchell’s 13 points and 10 rebounds, scored 17 points in a row to take a 20–5 lead. At halftime, Notre Dame was no closer than eight times (33–25).
In addition to shooting 43% overall, Duke had a poor shooting night (4 for 18) and missed ten free throws in a row. However, the Blue Devils outscored opponents 21-2 in second-chance points thanks to their 16 offensive rebounds. First-year coach Micah Shrewsberry stated, “I thought they hurt us there, and we’re usually one of the best defensive rebounding teams.” “Sometimes they just beat us up on the glass.” The Fighting Irish (7-16, 2–10), led by Markus Burton with 19 points, went 8 and a half minutes without a basket, and shot just 33.9% overall as Duke jumped out to a huge early lead.
BIG PICTURE
Notre Dame: Since defeating Georgia Tech on January 9, the Fighting Irish have not triumphed. The Fighting Irish’s offence was once again a concern; they started the game ranked 305th in the country in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency (99.1 points per 100 possessions), but they missed 12 straight shots in the first half and went another five and a half minutes without scoring.
The Blue Devils, led by Foster’s layup, Foster’s jumper, and Mark Mitchell’s 13 points and 10 rebounds, scored 17 points in a row to take a 20–5 lead. At halftime, Notre Dame was no closer than eight times (33–25).
In addition to shooting 43% overall, Duke had a poor shooting night (4 for 18) and missed ten free throws in a row. However, the Blue Devils outscored opponents 21-2 in second-chance points thanks to their 16 offensive rebounds.
Duke: Associated Press preseason All-American Kyle Filipowski struggled to recover from the UNC defeat after being utterly outplayed in a crucial meeting against Armando Bacot. After picking up his third foul prior to making his first basket on Wednesday, the 7-footer sat early due to two first-half fouls. He finished with eight points on 2-for-9 shooting and nine rebounds.
Scheyer stated, “We won the game by 19 points when he’s in there, but he’s only in there for half the game. We need him to be better, and he’s hard on himself and wants to be better.”
POKER FACE
After Filipowski had committed his fourth foul, Scheyer once bent down to speak with him while he was seated on the bench. Filipowski said Scheyer was ensuring he was “doing good mentally.”
Filipowski remarked, “I was trying not to overreact to nothing.” “I didn’t, but occasionally my face can still convey a different emotion than what I’m truly trying to convey.”
