Duke blows out Wake Forest basketball in its second straight win on the road
Duke once again owns a winning record and the Blue Devils posted an emphatic victory to get there.
In a game that saw Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes pick up two first-half technical fouls and an ejection, Matthew Hurt poured in 22 points as the Blue Devils blasted Wake Forest 84-60 in ACC basketball at Joel Coliseum.
Having fallen below the .500 mark for the first time since November 1999 with three consecutive losses earlier this month, Duke (9-8, 7-6 ACC) won its second game in a row with a dominating performance against the Demon Deacons (6-10, 3-10 ACC).
With strong shooting and solid defense, Duke led 36-22 with 3:18 remaining in the first half when Forbes picked up two technical fouls.
With Duke shooting at the basket near the Wake bench, Blue Devils freshman Jaemyn Brakefield drove through the lane but missed a dunk attempt. The officials whistled to stop play and Forbes was called for his first technical. With his face red as he yelled through his mask, Forbes came on the court to continue arguing with official Tony Henderson, who signaled for the second technical foul and kicked Forbes out of the game.
“I’ve always had a great relationship with the officials,” Forbes said during his postgame Zoom interview with reporters. “I got respect for them and the job they have to do. But I’m gonna fight for my players. And I got a passion for them and our university and our team. And that’s not going to change today. It’s not gonna change tomorrow.”
He didn’t reveal what he said to draw the two quick technicals, saying “that’s between me and the ACC. I’m not gonna publicly comment on that. And just leave it at that.”
But he did say he thought one of his players, Daivien Williamson, had been fouled on Wake’s previous possession.
“Obviously they didn’t call it and that led to the situation,” Forbes said.
Assistant coach Brooks Savage took over as acting coach for the remainder of the game, but Duke led 45-26 at halftime and pushed its lead as large as 29 points in the second half.
“I don’t want to ever want to leave them out there without me,” Forbes said. “But again, I’m always gonna fight for my team and my players and Wake Forest University. And so yeah, there’s you know, you’re kind of conflicted a little bit. But for the most part, I just wanted to be there to coach the game and coach the team and no disrespect to Duke either. I didn’t want that to be the narrative of the game. I mean, I thought they played great.”
The Blue Devils shot 33 of 61 (54.1%), including 11 of 25 3-pointers (44%) to post the easy win. Duke played offense with precision, picking up 17 assists with just six turnovers.
“We are getting contributions from everybody,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “A really good performance by our kids.”
Hurt topped the 20-point mark for the second game in a row with another scintillating shooting performance. He made 8 of 9 shots from the field, including 3 of 4 3-pointers.
His big night came on the heels of a 24-point game Saturday when Duke beat N.C. State 69-53. Hurt made 8 of 10 shots against the Wolfpack, including 6 of 7 3-pointers.
DJ Steward added 16 points for Duke against Wake Forest while Joey Baker (12 points) and Wendell Moore (11 points) also reached double figures.
Wake Forest shot 39.2% while making just 7 of 25 3-pointers (28%).
Here are earlier updates from the game:
Second half update: Duke rolling toward easy win
Looking nothing like the team that’s struggled as no Duke team has in two decades, the Blue Devils took a 19-point halftime lead and extended it to 68-43 with 10:26 to play in the game.
Another big scoring night from sophomore forward Matthew Hurt helped Duke run out to the big lead over the Demon Deacons. Hurt scored 21 points in the game’s first 29 minutes to lead the Blue Devils. DJ Steward, with 12 points is the only other Duke player in double-figures as eight Duke players have scored.
After hitting 8 of 10 shots, including 6 of 7 3-pointers, while scoring 24 points in Saturdays 69-53 win at N.C. State, Hurt hit 8 of his first 9 shots, including 3 of 4 3-pointers, against Wake.
Halftime update: Blue Devils up 19 as Wake coach ejected
Duke took control of the game early and Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes, incensed at the officiating, took out his anger and earned an early end to his coaching night.
Forbes was called for two technical fouls with 3:18 left in the first half, earning him an automatic ejection, as Duke took a 45-26 halftime lead.
The confrontation occurred during a Duke possession. The Blue Devils were shooting at the basket closest to the Wake Forest bench.
With the Blue Devils up 36-22, Jaemyn Brakefield drove through the lane but missed a dunk attempt. The officials whistled to stop play and Forbes was called for his first technical. He came on the court to continue arguing with official Tony Henderson, who signaled for the second technical foul and kicked Forbes out of the game.
Assistant coach Brooks Savage is taking over as acting coach for the remainder of the game.
First half update: Duke in control
Excellent ball movement in half courts sets led to plenty of open shots for Duke early and the Blue Devils took advantage against Wake Forest.
Duke hit 12 of its first 20 shots (60%), including 5 of 9 3-pointers, to build a 29-13 lead. The Deacons made just 5 of their first 17 shots and turned the ball over five times to fall behind.
Pregame update
This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 8:23 PM with the headline "Duke blows out Wake Forest basketball in its second straight win on the road."