CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Jeremy Roach scored 16 points to lead No. 8 Duke to an 84-55 victory over Miami on Wednesday night.
Kyle Filipowski and Mark Mitchell each had 15 points for the Blue Devils (21-5, 12-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their fifth straight and 16th of 18.
“Not giving up on each other, staying the course with our big goal at the end of the season,” Filipowski said of Duke’s surge. “We know we’ve been in a position like this before, but there is still a lot more to accomplish. We still have to set ourselves up for March.”
Duke’s Tyrese Proctor returned from a one-game absence on concussion protocol and scored 12 points in 23 minutes. Caleb Foster added 11.
The Blue Devils hit 13 of 29 3-pointers for their second consecutive game with double-digit conversions from behind the arc. They made 10 from 3-point range against Florida State on Saturday.
“It was a great team effort. It was a great team win,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “Ton of respect for Miami. I don’t care who’s playing for them. They have a talented team, and they are more than dangerous at home especially.”
Wooga Poplar and Bensley Joseph finished with 15 points each for the Hurricanes (15-12, 6-10), who shot 31% from the field and lost their fifth straight. It is their longest skid since a six-game slide in February and March 2021.
“Very challenging, very frustrating and disappointing for everybody that loves Miami basketball,” Hurricanes coach Jim Larrañaga said. “It’s like climbing a mountain and keep slipping back.”
Duke limited Miami leading scorer Norchad Omier to nine points on 3-of-14 shooting. Filipowski and Mitchell repeatedly forced Omier, who averages 17 per game, to alter his shots around the rim.
“We followed the game plan really well,” Mitchell said. “We switched it up guarding Omier.”
Consecutive 3-pointers from Foster keyed a 13-0 run and put Duke ahead 29-14 midway through the first half. Roach’s 3-pointer with 2:36 remaining in the half made it 38-18.
“I didn’t know how much we were up,” Roach said. “I just wanted to extend the lead a little bit more. Coach has always talked about finishing the end of halves. We did a good job today.”
Miami was without second and third leading scorers Matthew Cleveland and Nijel Pack. Cleveland participated in pregame warmups but didn’t play because of illness, while a lower extremity injury sidelined Pack for the second straight game.
Duke concludes a three-game road trip Saturday at Wake Forest.
UNC Greensboro 71, Western Carolina 65
GREENSBORO — Mikeal Brown-Jones and Keyshaun Langley scored 19 points each in UNC Greensboro’s 71-65 victory against Western Carolina on Wednesday night.
Brown-Jones added eight rebounds for the Spartans (20-8, 11-4 Southern Conference). Donovan Atwell finished with 15 points.
The Catamounts (19-9, 8-7) were led in scoring by Vonterius Woolbright and Russell Jones, who scored 22 points each.
Brown-Jones scored 14 points in the first half for UNC Greensboro, who led 31-26 at the break. UNC Greensboro took the lead for good with 2:42 remaining in the second half on a 3-pointer from Langley to make it a 61-58 game.
Longwood 80, UNC Asheville 75
FARMVILLE, Va. — Walyn Napper had 16 points in Longwood’s 80-75 victory against UNC Asheville on Wednesday night.
Napper also added five rebounds, seven assists and four steals for the Lancers (17-11, 5-8 Big South Conference). Johnathan Massie scored 14 points, and Michael Christmas finished with 13.
The Bulldogs (19-10, 11-3) were led in scoring by Josh Banks, who finished with 23 points. Drew Pember added 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks for UNC Asheville. Fletcher Abee also had 14 points. The loss ended a five-game winning streak for the Bulldogs.
Memphis 76, Charlotte 52
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Jahvon Quinerly scored 17 points as Memphis beat Charlotte 76-52 on Wednesday night.
Quinerly also contributed six assists and three steals for the Tigers (19-8, 8-6 American Athletic Conference). Nae’Qwan Tomlin added 16 points and seven rebounds. David Jones finished with 10 points.
The 49ers (17-9, 11-3) were led in scoring by Igor Milicic Jr., who finished with 16 points. Robert Braswell added 13 points for Charlotte. Dishon Jackson also had 10 points and nine rebounds.
