Duke basketball didn’t make winning plays down the stretch at Wake Forest on Saturday.
In front of a sellout crowd at Joel Coliseum, which featured a sea of tie-dye clad fans, the eight-ranked Blue Devils suffered an 83-79 loss to the Demon Deacons.
In a game that featured 14 ties and 14 lead changes, Duke (21-6, 12-4 ACC) unraveled with four turnovers in the final two minutes as Wake Forest (18-9, 10-6) held on for a win that should make the Demon Deacons feel a lot better about Selection Sunday ahead of the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket.
Duke had won 29 games in a row when leading at the half before Wake Forest ended that streak Saturday. Here’s what stood out in the Blue Devils’ loss to the Deacs.
Wake Forest’s Hunter Sallis was the best player on the court
Hunter Sallis had 22 points in Wake Forest’s loss at Duke. Sallis had 23 points with under 16 minutes remaining in the rematch at Joel Coliseum. The Gonzaga transfer made 11 of his 13 shots, including five 3-pointers, in a stellar scoring effort against the Devils. He finished with 29 points.
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Wake Forest didn’t feel Duke’s defense
During its five-game winning streak, Duke allowed an average of 61.8 points per game and limited teams to 38.7% shooting in that stretch. The Demon Deacons didn’t feel that pressure from the Devils this weekend, shooting 60%. Wake Forest got whatever it wanted offensively in the second half, making 69.6% of its shots.
Quiet game for Duke basketball’s Mark Mitchell
Duke is 30-3 when Mark Mitchell reaches double figures. Mitchell, who matched his career high with 23 points against Wake Forest in Durham, finished with six points on 2-of-5 shooting in Winston-Salem. The Blue Devils’ backcourt accounted for 45 of Duke’s points.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached atrbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
First appeared on www.fayobserver.com