As the Blue Devils took the court Tuesday night in their all-black uniforms, they needed to make a statement. Escaping the clutches of Notre Dame Saturday after trailing for much of the first half, Duke needed to prove it was capable of winning on the road in style. Understanding the assignment, the Blue Devils’ performance could only be described in one way — dominant.
No. 11 Duke earned a 75-53 win against Pittsburgh at Petersen Events Center, bringing it to 3-1 in conference play. Sophomore center Kyle Filipowski led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds, missing only one shot and going 4-of-4 from three to get the double-double on the night. He was bolstered by senior guard Jeremy Roach with nine points and four assists, and freshman Jared McCain with 12 points and five rebounds. On the Panthers’ side, redshirt junior Zack Austin and freshman guard Carlton Carrington led the way with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The road victory answered the major question of the season for the squad from Durham — they can achieve big-time wins away from Cameron Indoor Stadium.
"Proud of the effort, proud of the game," said head coach Jon Scheyer. "And then...for Flip to play that way, he's just...a difference maker."
Coming out of the locker room, Filipowskipicked up right where he left off in the first half, converting a stepback 2-pointer. Sophomore forward Mark Mitchell got in on the action with an emphatic dunk to put the Blue Devils (12-3, 3-1 in the ACC) up 52-28. Roach drove to the basket to get the layup for his first points of the second half before Filipowski drained yet another three.
Duke also kept up their defense effort, only allowing the Panthers (10-6, 1-4) to score five points through the opening seven minutes of the half. Highlighted by a Filipowski swat on an attempted layup by Carrington and Sean Stewart block late in the game, the lockdown on the defensive end led to continued offensive opportunities on the other end of the floor. Even though Pittsburgh tried to impose lengthy scoring draughts, Duke stepped up to the task with buckets like the reverse layup from freshman guard Jared McCain to extend the lead to 64-31 to the visitors from Durham.
For their part, the Panthers did not go quietly. With 9:08 left in the second half, Pittsburgh’s William Jeffress drained a three before Guillermo Diaz Graham converted a triple of his own less than two minutes later. However, the Blue Devils were always there to snuff out the Panthers’ spark. Once more, it was Filipowski who dashed Pittsburgh’s hopes on a turnaround jumper with 6:39 left in the contest. From there, Duke put the game away easily, headlined by a stepback three from freshman forward TJ Power and dunk from Stewart.
"I thought our defense was really good. Probably the best we played on that end," said Scheyer.
Not looking to repeat their opening performance at Notre Dame a few days earlier, the Blue Devils came out in stronger and sharper fashion. Filipowski made the second-chance layup to open the scoring, followed by a drive to the basket by McCain that put Duke up 4-0 early. Pittsburgh put up an initial fight, spurred by Austin’s layup and block on a McCain 3-point attempt.
Mere minutes in, however, the backcourt took control. Roach got the party started with a smooth three before Blake Hinson tried to interrupt the Blue Devils’ rhythm with a bucket of his own. Not to be outdone, Proctor and McCain instantly shut the door on the Panthers’ hopes by draining back-to-back shots from beyond the arc, giving Duke a 12-7 lead.
From there, the floodgates opened for Duke as shooting seemed to come naturally. Going on a 12-2 shooting run midway through the half, the Blue Devils were on fire as they extended their lead off layups from Ryan Young and Filipowski. Then the magic from the 3-point line really took off. Filipowski silenced the roaring hometown crowd with a make from three before Foster drained back-to-back triples to give Duke 33 points to Pittsburgh’s 16. Cementing his dominance on the half, Filipowski swished yet another 3-pointer to add to his eventual 17 points in the opening minutes before a McCain make from behind the arc deepened the chasm between the two teams.
"When [Filipowski] plays that way for our team, it totally changes the dynamic of our offense [and] our defense," said Scheyer. "I don't feel there's really anybody like him in the country when he plays that way."
The Blue Devils shooting excellence paid off as they headed into the halftime locker room with 48 points, a season-high. On top of that, Duke shot 60% from the field while going 9-of-17 from three. Coupled with their defensive effort, which saw them hold the Panthers to nine points through the first ten minutes and 23 in the half as a whole, the Blue Devils were simply dominant.
Duke will head back home Saturday evening for a rematch against Georgia Tech in hopes of avenging a loss to the ACC foe earlier in the season.
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Mackenzie Sheehy is a Trinity junior and associate editor for The Chronicle's 120th volume.