Duke basketball’s Mark Mitchell, Kyle Filipowski power Blue Devils past Wake Forest
DURHAM — It’s been 9,893 days since Duke basketball last lost to Wake Forest at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Demon Deacons weren’t able to end that drought Monday night as the ninth-ranked Blue Devils earned a 77-69 win for their 25th win in a row against Wake in Durham.
Behind strong efforts in the frontcourt from Kyle Filipowski and Mark Mitchell, the Blue Devils (19-5, 10-3 ACC) extended the misery for the Deacs (16-8, 8-5), who haven’t won at Cameron since 1997.
Poor shooting in the first half gave way to a shootout in the second half, but Duke limited Wake Forest to below 30% from 3-point range and got to the free-throw line (18-25) to pull out the win.
Here are the players who stood out in the 260th meeting between the Blue Devils and Demon Deacons.
Kyle Filipowsk, Mark Mitchell take advantage of Efton Reid’s absence
Wake Forest 7-footer Efton Reid only played eight minutes in the first half as he dealt with foul trouble. Duke 7-footer Kyle Filipowski took advantage of that absence with 10 points and seven rebounds. Filipowski finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double since Jan. 23 at Louisville.
Like Filipowski, Mark Mitchell was in attack mode with Reid sidelined. Mitchell had a game-high 23 points, including 11 in the first seven minutes of the second half, and seven rebounds.
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Blue Devils slow down Wake Forest’s Hunter Sallis?
Hunter Sallis was the best player on the floor in the first half, scoring 14 of Wake Forest’s 27 points on 6 of 12 shooting. With Tyrese Proctor and Jeremy Roach serving as the primary defenders, the Blue Devils were able to make things tougher on Sallis in the second half, but he still finished with 22 points. Wake's other starting guards combined to miss 14 of their 16 shots.
Jared McCain remains rebounding monster
For the third time in the last four games, Jared McCain finished with a double-double for the Blue Devils. The 6-foot-3 freshman had 17 points and 10 rebounds, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers and all six of his free throws.
Duke hits road to face Florida State, Miami, Wake Forest
After three straight home games, Duke will be on the road for its next three games: Florida State, Miami and Wake Forest. The Blue Devils lost their first two road games, but have won four of their last five.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball’s top players in Blue Devils’ win vs. Wake Forest
