DURHAM — Kyle Filipowski was in the starting lineup four days after sustaining a knee injury when fans stormed the court, and he finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and six assists as No. 10 Duke beat Louisville 84-59 on Wednesday night.
Filipowski, a preseason Associated Press All-American, was hurt following Saturday’s loss at Wake Forest when he collided with a fan. Team managers and coaching staff members helped guide the sophomore standout away from the swarming fans and off the court.
“It wasn’t anything too bad,” Filipowski said of making the quick recovery. “Coming off a real hard loss, we had to make ourselves known again.”
Jeremy Roach scored 19 points, Mark Mitchell added 17 and Jared McCain had 14 as the Blue Devils (22-6, 13-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) won for the sixth time in seven games. Duke is one game behind conference-leading UNC with three regular season games — including a season-ending matchup between the rivals March 9 in Durham — remaining for both teams.
The Blue Devils had the right mindset following the aftermath of chaotic weekend game, coach Jon Scheyer said.
“Not to make excuses,” Scheyer said. “Get back to work.”
Tre White scored 15 points for Louisville (8-20, 3-13), which lost its fourth straight. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Ty-Laur Johnson each added 11 points. The Cardinals have lost 20 games for the second consecutive season.
“You have to walk in here with a toughness, with a fight,” said Louisville coach Kenny Payne, who was disappointed with Duke’s 43-24 rebounding advantage. “You can’t beat this team if you’re not going to rebound.”
Roach connected on the first two of Duke’s three 3-pointers in a 54-second span of the first half, giving the Blue Devils a 26-13 lead.
Duke led 36-23 at halftime. Louisville was slowed by 29% shooting from the field.
The Blue Devils committed 10 of their 14 turnovers in the first half, but they routinely had high-percentage shots and finished with 23 assists, the team’s most in ACC action this season.
Duke hosts Virginia on Saturday.
Western Carolina 85, Furman 77
CULLOWHEE — Russell Jones had 20 points and Vonterius Woolbright had a triple-double in Western Carolina’s 85-77 win against Furman on Wednesday night.
Jones was 5-of-11 shooting, including 4 for 8 from 3-point range, for the Catamounts (21-9, 10-7 Southern Conference). Woolbright scored 15 points and completed his triple-double with 10 rebounds and 11 assists. DJ Campbell finished with 12 points.
The Paladins (16-14, 10-7) were led by JP Pegues, who posted 35 points and five assists. Ben Vanderwal added 10 points, six rebounds and two steals for Furman.
High Point 100, Winthrop 96 (OT)
HIGH POINT — Abdoulaye Thiam had 25 points in High Point’s 100-96 overtime victory over Winthrop on Wednesday night.
Thiam made four free throws in the final 16 seconds of overtime to secure the victory.
After trailing by 19 points, the Eagles forced overtime when K.J. Doucet made three free throws to tie it at 86.
Thiam shot 7 for 17 from the field (5 for 12 from 3-point range) for the Panthers (24-6, 13-2 Big South Conference). Kimani Hamilton scored 19 points and added seven rebounds and five assists. Duke Miles finished with 17 points.
Kasen Harrison led the way for the Eagles (17-13, 8-7) with 27 points and four assists. Winthrop also got 18 points and eight rebounds from Kelton Talford. Doucet finished with 17 points.
Appalachian State 89, Old Dominion 64
BOONE — Tre’Von Spillers had 18 points in Appalachian State’s 89-64 win over Old Dominion on Wednesday night.
Spillers added 16 rebounds for the Mountaineers (25-5, 15-2 Sun Belt Conference). Christopher Mantis added 12 points and Donovan Gregory had 11 as the Mountaineers prolonged their winning streak to six games.
Tyrone Williams led the Monarchs (7-23, 3-15) in scoring, finishing with 15 points. Chaunce Jenkins added 15 points for Old Dominion. In addition, R.J. Blakney had 11 points.
UNC Greensboro 100, VMI 58
GREENSBORO — Mikeal Brown-Jones had 26 points in UNC Greensboro’s 100-58 victory over VMI on Wednesday night. Brown-Jones added nine rebounds for the Spartans (21-9, 12-5 Southern Conference). Keyshaun Langley added 22 points with five assists.
The Keydets (4-26, 1-16) were led in scoring by Corey Chesley, who finished with 20 points. Tyran Cook added 12 points and five assists for VMI, which has lost 11 straight.
