Sportswrap is your one-stop shop for everything Duke athletics, where we’ll recap how each of Duke’s sports currently in competition performed over the last week and give a brief look ahead. Here’s our recap for the week of March 6-12.
Men’s basketball
And the streak continues. No. 4-seed Duke beat Pittsburgh, Miami and Virginia in the ACC tournament, emerging as conference tournament champions for the first time since Zion Williamson and company did it in 2019. The Blue Devils’ 96-69 rout of the Panthers in the quarterfinals was their highest point total of the season. That offensive sharpness continued against the Hurricanes – though that 85-78 score was much closer, Duke only trailed for 4:32 and shot 54.9%. The Blue Devils would not find themselves at a deficit again.
It was a defensive showdown with the second-seeded Cavaliers in Saturday’s 59-49 final, but Duke was on top from the start and never let Virginia catch up. ACC Freshman of the Year Kyle Filipowski was awarded tournament MVP honors after averaging 19.7 points per game through the three contests. Automatic qualifiers for the NCAA tournament and nursing a nine-game win streak, the Blue Devils are a No. 5 seed and will face No. 12-seed Oral Roberts in Orlando, Fla., Thursday in the Round of 64. -Rachael Kaplan
Women’s basketball
After exiting the ACC tournament semifinal last Saturday against Virginia Tech, Kara Lawson’s squad sets its focus on March Madness. The Blue Devils were named a No. 3 seed in this year’s bracket, hosting Iona in Durham in Saturday’s first round. As the draw goes, Duke will play a maximum of two games in Cameron Indoor Stadium before traveling to Seattle if the team advances. This year’s tournament marks the March Madness coaching debut for Lawson; however, the former Tennessee Volunteer will rely on her playing career, one that included two Final Fours, to bring experience to her Duke team. -Garrett Spooner
Men’s lacrosse
The fifth-ranked Blue Devils got out to a fast start Friday in their home win against No. 6 Loyola, scoring five unanswered goals to open the contest. The goals-fest didn’t end there, with Duke (6-1, 1-0 in the ACC) taking a 14-2 halftime lead before resting its starters through most of the second half, eventually winning 17-9. Sophomore attacker Andrew McAdorey led the charge, tallying a staggering nine points thanks to three goals and six assists. Junior Brennan O’Neill and graduate Garrett Leadmon rounded out Duke’s trio of hat tricks. Next, the Blue Devils welcome rival No. 11 North Carolina to Koskinen Stadium at 6 p.m. Friday. -Sasha Richie
Women's lacrosse
Despite a full week of rest, the Blue Devils struggled to get back to their winning ways Saturday as they fell to Clemson on the road 11-10. The first-year program bested the more seasoned Duke squad behind a big four-goal performance from freshman Sofia Chepenik. On the Blue Devil side, Duke (4-3, 0-3) got two goals apiece from Katie DeSimone, Caroline DeBellis and Eva Greco. Once more, senior Shaye Fitzpatrick and freshman Madison Drebing split time between the pipes. The Blue Devils will return home Tuesday as they look to break their two-game losing streak against Yale. -Mackenzie Sheehy
Softball
No. 10 Duke took an accelerated series at home against Louisville, winning the first half of Saturday’s doubleheader 5-3 — the game was rescheduled due to Sunday’s forecast — before dropping the third and final game of the weekend 13-9. Freshman Aminah Vega starred at second base and at the plate in the clinching win, and junior Francesca Frelick hit two home runs in the loss Sunday afternoon. Next up for the Blue Devils (20-5, 4-2) is a Wednesday meeting at home against James Madison before going on the road at North Carolina over the weekend. -Jonathan Levitan
Baseball
Duke had a decent week, going 2-3 in all competitions. The team began the week with two games against Appalachian State and Northeastern: On Tuesday, the Blue Devils (10-6, 1-2), powered by a Luke Storm home run and five scoreless innings from Alex Gow, beat Appalachian State 5-0, before losing 2-1 to Northeastern the next day. They continued play over the weekend with a three-game set against No. 6 Wake Forest. While the Blue Devils lost two of three, they did pick up an impressive 8-1 victory Saturday afternoon. Second baseman Jay Beshears went 3-for-5 with three RBI while Andrew Fischer went yard. Up next, Duke plays a single game Wednesday at Presbyterian before a three-game set at Clemson. -Luke Jovanovic
Women’s tennis
Following a week of rest, the Blue Devils started the weekend with a 5-2 win Friday at Clemson. The new doubles duo of Georgia Drummy and Iuliia Bryzgalova remains undefeated, as Duke (15-2, 5-1) collected the doubles point. The Blue Devils won at Georgia Tech Sunday afternoon 4-3, as they once again captured the doubles point before struggling in singles. Senior Chloe Beck won her 21st-straight ACC regular match and is now two wins away from her 100th win at Duke. Next, the Blue Devils host Northwestern at 4 p.m. Wednesday before a pair of ACC matchups over the weekend. -Anna Newberry
Women’s golf
Inclement weather canceled Sunday’s final round at the Valspar Augusta Intercollegiate, ending the tournament after 36 holes. Across those two rounds, the Blue Devils finished solo eighth (out of 14 teams) at +12, 25 shots behind ACC counterpart and first-place finisher Wake Forest. Phoebe Brinker again led the way with consecutive rounds of one-under 71, coming in solo eighth herself. Erica Shepherd notched a tie for 20th, while Anne Chen — in her return to the lineup — ended in a tie for 48th at +6. For Duke, next up is the Wolfpack Match Play (April 3-4), but for Brinker, Shepherd and Chen, the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur (March 29-April 1) is on deck. -Max Rego
Track and field
Five Blue Devils headed to Albuquerque, N.M., for the weekend to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships, which they qualified for at the conference finals a week prior. Sophomore Amina Maatoug zoomed through the women’s mile to take seventh place overall and earn herself a spot on the All-America First Team for the event. Her four teammates took a stab at the women’s distance medley relay and fell to 10th place, below their usual caliber. Duke now looks to the outdoor season, which begins Thursday with the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational in Myrtle Beach, S.C. -Sophie Levenson
Fencing
It was a big weekend for the Blue Devils as they traveled to Haverford, Pa., Saturday to compete in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional. Duke saw 11 of its fencers through to top-10 finishes, highlighted by sophomore Allen Marakov’s second-place performance in epee. The 11th-ranked men’s contingent also had standout showings from saberists Lukas Dannull and Terence Lee, who placed third and sixth, respectively. On the women’s side, senior Anneke Zegers led the way with a fourth-place finish in the saber, while junior foilist Christina Ferrari finished eighth in her event. The Blue Devils will find out in the next few days which of their fencers qualified for the NCAA Championship before hosting the culminating meet in Durham in two weeks. -Mackenzie Sheehy
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