DURHAM — Matthew Hurt scored a career-high 26 points to help No. 21 Duke beat Wake Forest 79-68 on Saturday in Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski’s return from a one-game absence due to COVID-19 protocols.
Freshman DJ Steward added 21 points for the Blue Devils (5-2, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who shot 51% and controlled the boards to extend their home-court dominance in the long-running in-state series.
Krzyzewski missed Wednesday’s one-point win against Boston College. He had said previously that he and his wife were following quarantine protocols after a family member had tested positive for COVID-19, though Krzyzewski said both of them had tested negative.
He said he was tested again early Saturday before being cleared. He said a daughter and granddaughter are fighting the virus and “doing OK but not great.”
“I’m just happy that we have such a good medical center and medical people who will take care of us,” Krzyzewski said. “I’m happy to be back. I thought my team played really well today.”
Duke finished with a 35-25 rebounding advantage but did its best work by grabbing 11 offensive rebounds after halftime that led to 13 second-chance points.
Daivien Williamson and Ismael Massoud each scored 17 points to lead the Demon Deacons (3-3, 0-3), who had just one field goal during a seven-minute stretch midway through the second half as Duke stretched its lead.
“It’s demoralizing to your defense when your first-shot defense, you make them miss and then you don’t get the rebound,” Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said. “And credit to Duke, they were aggressive on the glass in the second half, especially their guards.”
The Demon Deacons haven’t won in Cameron Indoor Stadium since January 1997, during eventual NBA star Tim Duncan’s final college season. They shot well enough for stretches of this one, though they went just 2 for 10 behind the 3-point arc after halftime and committed 15 turnovers (seven from midyear enrollee Carter Whitt). The struggles to keep Duke off the glass for extra looks also was a key factor as the Blue Devils took over in a game tied at 55 with 11:45 left.
The Demon Deacons host Louisville on Wednesday night for their first home ACC game this year, while the Blue Devils visit No. 19 Virginia Tech on Tuesday night, starting a stretch of three straight scheduled road games.
Appalachian State 77, Georgia Southern 71
BOONE — Donovan Gregory had 19 points as Appalachian State defeated Georgia Southern 77-71 on Saturday. Adrian Delph added 17 points for the Mountaineers, while Michael Almonacy chipped in 15.
James Lewis Jr. had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Appalachian State (9-4, 3-1 Sun Belt Conference).
Eric Boone had 14 points and seven assists for the Eagles (7-6, 1-3). Elijah McCadden added 14 points. Gedi Juozapaitis had 13 points.
The Mountaineers improve to 2-0 against the Eagles for the season. Appalachian State defeated Georgia Southern 66-63 on Friday.
Campbell 64, Longwood 58
FARMVILLE, Va. — Jordan Whitfield had 20 points as Campbell got past Longwood 64-58 on Saturday night.
Whitfield made 9 of 12 shots. Cedric Henderson Jr. added 19 points for Campbell (6-6, 2-3 Big South Conference).
Justin Hill had 11 points and nine rebounds for the Lancers (2-11, 1-6). Juan Munoz also scored 11 points. Zac Watson had 10 points.
The teams meet again today.
South Florida 69, East Carolina 63
GREENVILLE — David Collins registered 16 points as South Florida got past East Carolina 69-63 on Saturday.
Justin Brown had 12 points for South Florida (7-5, 3-3 American Athletic Conference). Alexis Yetna added 10 points.
Tremont Robinson-White scored a career-high 29 points for the Pirates (7-3, 1-3). Jayden Gardner added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Bitumba Baruti had eight rebounds.
Winthrop 75, Gardner-Webb 65
ROCK HILL, S.C. — Adonis Arms came off the bench to tally 17 points in 18 minutes to lead Winthrop to a 75-65 win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday, the Eagles’ 10th straight victory to start the season and the 15th in a row over two seasons.
Chandler Vaudrin had 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Winthrop (10-0, 7-0 Big South Conference), which is off to its best start in program history. Micheal Anumba added 10 points and seven rebounds. Kelton Talford had seven rebounds.
Jordan Sears had a career-high 18 points off the bench for the Runnin’ Bulldogs (3-7, 2-3). Jaheam Cornwall added 17 points. Jamaine Mann had eight rebounds. Jacob Falko had seven points and 10 rebounds.
Hampton 73, UNC Asheville 71
HAMPTON, Va. — Davion Warren made two free throws to end the game, had a career-high 32 points plus 15 rebounds, and Hampton edged UNC Asheville 73-71 on Saturday.
Marquis Godwin scored a career-high 20 points for Hampton (5-7, 4-3). Dajour Dickens added eigtht points and seven blocks. Russell Dean, whose 12 points per game coming into the matchup was second on the Pirates, shot only 13 percent for the game (1 of 8).
Tajion Jones had 17 points for the Bulldogs (4-6, 3-2 Big South Conference). LJ Thorpe added 15 points and five assists. Evan Clayborne had 12 points and eight rebounds.
Jamon Battle tied the game for UNC Asheville at 71 with 1:58 to play. He finished with seven points and eight rebounds.
Wofford 48, UNC Greensboro 45
GREENSBORO — Sam Godwin scored eight of Wofford’s final 10 points including the go-ahead basket with 1 1/2 minutes remaining and Storm Murphy added 18 points in a 48-45 victory over UNC Greensboro on Saturday.
Godwin added another basket for a three-point lead with eight seconds left before a UNCG 3-pointer missed at the buzzer.
Godwin scored all of his 10 points in the second half and grabbed nine rebounds for Wofford (6-4, 3-1 Southern Conference). Max Klesmit added 10 points. Ryan Larson had eight rebounds. Tray Hollowell, the Terriers’ second-leading scorer coming into the matchup at 13 points per game, was held scoreless. He shot 0 of 5 from 3-point range.
Both teams set season lows for scoring in a first half when UNCG led 16-15.
Isaiah Miller had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Spartans (6-5, 1-2). Hayden Koval added 10 points and three blocks. Mohammed Abdulsalam had seven rebounds.
UNC Greensboro defeated Wofford 84-75 on Wednesday.