HALFTIME: Duke 50, Wake Forest 47

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—On the road again for its second ACC matchup of the season, No. 14 Duke leads Wake Forest 50-47 after a half of play at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Blue Devils appeared to adjust early to the Demon Deacons’ fast-paced play, but a 21-9 run for Wake Forest in the final 5:30 erased a 12-point Duke lead.

Wake Forest starters Dinos Mitoglou and Codi Miller-McIntyre shook Duke in the opening minutes, combining for 13 of the team’s first 15 points. The Demon Deacons raced to a 9-5 lead, scoring four of their nine off two consecutive Blue Devil turnovers. But freshman forward Brandon Ingram kept Duke alive with two early 3-pointers and the team’s only rebound in the first five minutes.

The Blue Devils only committed three turnovers in the first half, but Wake Forest stayed in the game by pushing the ball and dominating the glass. Shooting 60 percent from the field helped the Blue Devils overcome points lost in transition to their opponent on the other end of the court, but Wake Forest's 20-9 rebounding edge has kept the Demon Deacons hanging around. Head coach Danny Manning's squad scored 10 second-chance points—Duke had none.

Ingram had help from sophomore Grayson Allen and graduate student Marshall Plumlee, with an Allen 3-pointer and two Plumlee dunks giving the Blue Devils a 19-15 lead at the midpoint of the first half. Allen finished the half with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field.

Duke led by as much as 12 during the first frame of the contest, but the Demon Deacons refused to stay quiet.

Just before the half expired, Devin Thomas—kept relatively quiet in the opening minutes—came to life, heading to the locker room with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Thomas won the battle against Marshall Plumlee and the rest of the Duke frontcourt, backing them down, getting to the free throw line and slamming home several dunks.

Here are some observations in the first half:

• Wake Forest's bench gave the Demon Deacons 13 first-half points.
• With Thomas waking up inside and Plumlee in foul trouble, redshirt sophomore Sean Obi saw some first-half action, grabbing a rebound and committing a turnover.
• Foul trouble could plague the Blue Devils in the second half, as four members of the Duke starting five have two personal fouls already.