Wendell Moore Jr. racked up a triple-double as No. 9 Duke finally pulled away to beat visiting Army 82-56 on Friday night in the home opener of coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final season at Durham, N.C.
Moore finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Duke’s first game of the Duke Veterans Day Weekend Showcase.
Touted freshman Paolo Banchero scored 18 points for the Blue Devils (2-0), Jeremy Roach had 14 points and Trevor Keels had 10 points.
Duke ended the game on a 15-3 run to create a bloated final margin. The Blue Devils are 41-1 in home openers under Krzyzewski, including 40 in a row.
Army (1-1), which is Krzyzewski’s alma mater and where he coached for five seasons, was charged with 21 turnovers.
Jalen Rucker poured in 19 points and Josh Caldwell notched 16 for the Black Knights.
Duke went on a 7-0 run that resulted in an Army timeout at the 12:43 mark with the Blue Devils leading 49-34.
Rucker then scored eight points in a span of slightly more than two minutes as the Black Knights tried to stay within range. Army scored four straight points to close within 59-48.
Moore posted the next four points, however.
Banchero picked up a couple of fouls in the first half and spent time on the bench. The Blue Devils led 38-25 at halftime.
The Blue Devils, who made only 1 of 12 of their 3-pointers against No. 10 Kentucky on Tuesday night in New York, went 9-for-29 on from long range on Friday, with Moore, Roach and Joey Baker all connecting on two shots from long range.
Krzyzewski-coached teams are 8-0 all-time against Army.
This marked the first game among Duke’s stretch of five home dates in 11 nights. The Blue Devils will meet Campbell on Saturday, the second day of the showcase.
–Field Level Media
