Duke Blue Devils
Football:
Written by: Aaron Lewis
Chandler Morris Tosses 2 TDs as No. 20 Virginia Tops Duke 34-17 DURHAM, N.C. — Chandler Morris passed for 316 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 20 Virginia to a 34-17 win over Duke on Saturday, preserving the Cavaliers’ hopes for a conference title. Morris, a sixth-year transfer who missed last week’s game against Wake Forest with a head injury, made it clear he was ready to play—and coach Tony Elliott wasn’t surprised. “He was determined to be out there,” Elliott said. “This is why he came here—to be in this position in November.”
UConn Edges Duke 37-34 in Thrilling Road Contest EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Duke found itself in another late-game tussle for the second consecutive week, but this time the Blue Devils came up short. Trailing by three with under two minutes left, quarterback Darian Mensah tried to orchestrate a game-winning drive. After two incomplete passes, Duke faced third-and-10, which quickly became fourth-and-8. Mensah rolled out and launched a pass to Que’Sean Brown, who stepped out of bounds just beyond the first-down marker, briefly quieting the home crowd at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. Later, on third-and-4, Mensah found Cooper Barkate to keep the drive alive. A pass across the middle fell incomplete, and on the next play, Mensah was strip-sacked. UConn recovered the fumble and ran out the clock, sealing the 37-34 victory. Fans flooded the field as the band rang the victory bell to mark the Huskies’ hard-fought win. What began as a sunny autumn afternoon turned into a chilly night in New England, with a determined UConn squad proving just enough to edge past Duke in a high-scoring showdown. Photo Provided by: Duke Athletics
Duke Tops Clemson, Highlighting Tigers’ Struggles Clemson’s football program appears to be on a downward slide after suffering their second consecutive loss. Despite nearly doubling their scoring output from the previous game, the Tigers couldn’t hold off Duke, who captured a win at Memorial Stadium for the first time in 45 years—a milestone that underscores the current struggles within Clemson’s program. With a 2-3 record in conference play, questions about the future direction of the Tigers are inevitable. Head coach Dabo Swinney, reflecting on the season, admitted in the post-game press conference, “The 2010 season was probably the worst season, followed by this one. I thought I might get fired walking out of the press conference room.” That 2010 squad finished 6-7 (4-4) in conference, and Clemson has now matched that conference loss total with the defeat to Duke.
DURHAM, N.C. – Georgia Tech continued its hot start to the season, overcoming a sluggish first half to pull away in the second, defeating Duke 27-18 and improving to 7-0. The Yellow Jackets (7-0, 4-0 ACC) are off to their best start since 1966 and have reached 4-0 in conference play for the first time since 1998. Georgia Tech struggled early, managing only 110 total yards in the first half, but remained even with the Blue Devils at 7-7 at halftime, thanks to Omar Daniels’ school-record 95-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the opening quarter. After halftime, the Jackets’ offense ignited, amassing 266 yards and scoring on all four possessions following the break. Quarterback Haynes King led the surge, accounting for 325 total yards (205 passing, 120 rushing), with 240 coming in the second half alone. King directed drives of 63, 89, 72, and 71 yards, finishing the scoring with a 28-yard touchdown run that gave Georgia Tech a 27-10 advantage with just over two minutes left. Defensively, the Jackets tightened up in the second half, limiting Duke to just 116 yards over its first four possessions after halftime, following a first-half effort that saw the Blue Devils gain 238 yards. Linebacker Jy Gilmore had a standout game, recording a team-high 11 tackles, 1.5 for loss, a half sack, and two pass breakups. Georgia Tech’s defense collectively broke up five passes, sacked Duke quarterback Darian Mensah twice, and forced four hurried throws.
Basketball:
Articles Written by: Vickie Mathis
Women's basketball
The Blue Devils pulled out a 71-57 victory over host Liberty, due in large part to converting the Lady Flames' 25 turnovers into 26 points and limiting the home team to 39.6 percent from the field.
Duke’s starting five showcased their leadership by the end of the third quarter, seamlessly mixing fast-paced plays with calmer sequences to extend the Blue Devils’ lead over Norfolk State to 58-26. Even with the starters’ strong performance, the game was truly a team effort. By the final buzzer, Duke’s bench contributed 41 points—nearly matching the starters’ total. Norfolk State offered an opportunity for Roberson and Skinner to ease back into game action following injuries, shine in their debuts, and give fans an early look at their potential impact. Additionally, fans caught a glimpse of true freshman Anna Wikstrom, who scored four points in limited minutes, including a breakaway layup just before halftime. When Duke’s leading scorer, Fournier, exited the game following two technical fouls involving her and Norfolk’s Da’brya Clark, Donovan stepped up to carry the scoring load. By the end of the game, every player on Duke’s 11-person roster had logged at least a minute on the court, contributing to an emphatic 83-32 victory. “We place a high value on depth in our program. We like to give a lot of players time to contribute,” Lawson said.
Duke Rebounds with Commanding 91-48 Win Over Holy Cross After a tough loss to Baylor in Paris, Duke returned to form with a convincing 91-48 victory over Holy Cross. Toby Fournier led the charge, posting 27 points and hauling in 9 rebounds. Jordan Wood contributed 19 points along with 9 boards, while Ashlon Jackson chipped in 15 points. The Blue Devils were sharp from the floor, shooting 50% overall and connecting on 12 of 23 attempts from beyond the arc. In contrast, Holy Cross struggled offensively, making just 19 of 67 shots (28%) and hitting 8 of 25 threes (32%), a clear indicator of their struggles to find rhythm. Coach Kara Lawson praised her team’s performance: “I thought it was a well-balanced effort. We had four players in double figures, and we nearly had four players pulling down double-digit rebounds—just shy by one each. Jordan Wood was fantastic early, knocking down threes and setting the energy for us, while Toby Fournier dominated inside as we’ve come to expect. There were a lot of strong contributions, but those two in particular really helped us get off to a strong start.”
Men's basketball
Duke Outlasts Kansas in Champions Classic Showdown, 78–66 Fifth-ranked Duke emerged from a tight battle with No. 24 Kansas on Tuesday night, pulling away late for a 78–66 victory at Madison Square Garden. Although the final score suggests a comfortable win, the matchup stayed within one possession deep into the second half. Kansas trimmed Duke’s lead to 67–64 after a Melvin Council Jr. three-pointer with just under five minutes left. That would be the Jayhawks’ last basket until the final minute, as their offense hit a cold spell during the most critical stretch of the night. Duke’s Cam Boozer and Isaiah Evans capitalized, delivering key plays to close out the game. Boozer paced the Blue Devils (5–0) with an 18-point, 10-rebound performance, while Evans contributed 16 points. Boozer’s driving finish with 1:33 to go pushed the margin back into double digits and effectively sealed the win. Kansas briefly held control in the first half, going up 26–21 before standout big man Flory Bidunga was sidelined after collecting his second foul. Duke used that window to surge ahead, outscoring KU 20–7 to take a 41–33 halftime advantage. Still missing freshman guard Darryn Peterson for a third straight outing, Kansas leaned on Tre White’s 22 points, along with 15 from Bidunga and 14 from Council. Perimeter shooting proved costly, however, as the Jayhawks went just 4-for-21 from long range—an issue that ultimately swung the game in Duke’s favor.
Boozer Scores 35; No. 4 Duke Defeats Indiana State, 100-62. DURHAM, N.C. – No. 4 Duke men's basketball powered past Indiana State, 100-62, on Friday, Nov. 14 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Cameron Boozer scored 23 first-half points en route to 35 points, matching the second-highest point total by a Duke freshman. Boozer reeled in 12 rebounds for a double-double and added five assists, three steals and three blocks. Boozer matched Zion Williamson and Jared McCain for the second-most points by a Duke freshman and became just the third Duke player in the last 45 years to have at least 35 points in a double-double performance. Boozer joins Williamson versus Syracuse (35 points, 10 rebounds) on Jan. 14, 2019, and Christian Laettner versus Charlotte (37 points, 11 rebounds) on Dec. 1, 1990. The Blue Devils (4-0) also saw Caleb Foster and Dame Sarr reach double-figures, with 14 and 10, respectively. Five different players finished with multiple assists, with Boozer joined by Nikolas Khamenia with a game-high five dimes, while Isaiah Evans logged three helpers and Foster, Patrick Ngongba II and Maliq Brown each registered a pair. On defense, Duke blocked 13 shots and held Indiana State to 22-of-61 (.361) shooting. The Blue Devils also swiped 13 steals and forced a total of 18 turnovers.
Duke Basketball Starts Strong: Key Takeaways from the Blue Devils’ Early Season Duke (2-0) opened its season with a 75-60 victory over Texas in the Dick Vitale Invitational on Nov. 4. Isaiah Evans led the way with 23 points, while freshman Cameron Boozer posted a second-half surge with 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for a double-double. The Blue Devils followed that up with a dominant 95-54 home opener against Western Carolina on Nov. 8 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Boozer again starred, recording 25 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. After two games, the freshman is averaging a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds per contest, signaling a strong start to the season for Duke.