Blue Devils freshman shines with 29 points in 75-53 victory
The No. 11 Duke Blue Devils rode a monster performance from freshman standout Kyle Filipowski to an easy 75-53 road win over the Pittsburgh Panthers. Filipowski was nearly perfect, hitting 10-of-11 shots for a career-high 29 points along with 10 rebounds.
The Blue Devils (14-4, 4-3 ACC) have now won seven straight games. Meanwhile, the loss drops Pitt to 11-7 overall and 4-3 in the conference.
First half
Duke started hot offensively behind Filipowski, jumping out to a 10-0 lead to open the game. The Blue Devils freshman scored seven quick points in the opening four minutes. Duke’s defense was equally impressive early, holding Pitt scoreless for over five minutes to begin the contest.
The Panthers ended their drought with a Nike Sibande jumper at 14:43, but Duke countered with an 11-4 run to push the lead to 21-6 midway through the first half. Filipowski stayed aggressive, mixing scoring in the post with shots from the perimeter. At one point, the 7-footer scored 11 straight Blue Devil points.
“Kyle was phenomenal tonight,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “He took smart shots, played with force around the rim, and really set the tone for us offensively.”
Duke eventually pushed its lead to as much as 22 points, taking a 39-17 advantage into halftime. The Blue Devils shot 53.6% from the floor in the opening period, compared to just 21.4% shooting for Pittsburgh. Filipowski led all scorers with 17 first half points on 6-of-7 shooting.
“We got thoroughly outplayed in the first twenty minutes,” Pitt coach Jeff Capel admitted. “They played harder and executed better on both ends.”
Second half
Pitt came out of halftime looking much sharper, quickly cutting into Duke’s lead with a 10-0 run to get within 12 points at 39-27. Guard Nelly Cummings scored five points during that Panthers surge. The Oakland Zoo student section came alive hoping for a comeback bid.
But Duke rapidly rebuilt its cushion with back-to-back three pointers from Jeremy Roach and Tyrese Proctor. The Blue Devils eventually pushed the margin to 25 points midway through the second half. From there, Scheyer cleared his bench allowing reserves like Mark Mitchell to contribute. Mitchell ended up tallying 13 points off the bench.
With the game well in hand, the only late drama came with under four minutes left when Pitt freshman Dior Johnson and Duke sophomore Jaylen Blakes received double technical fouls after a brief shoving match. No other altercations occurred in the final minutes of the blowout Duke victory.
“We got ambushed early and they just kept attacking,” said Panthers forward Blake Hinson, who finished with a team-high 16 points. “You have to credit the way Duke came out and set the tone.”
Filipowski’s 29 point outburst included going 10-of-11 from the field and 7-of-9 on free throws. The stellar freshman added four assists and two steals to his line as well. Meanwhile, Roach chipped in 14 points and four assists for the Blue Devils.
FULL GAME STATS
| Duke | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TOV | BLK | STL | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filipowski | 10-11 | 1-1 | 7-9 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 29 |
| Roach | 5-12 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Proctor | 4-8 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| Mitchell | 5-8 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| Team | 29-53 | 8-15 | 9-13 | 33 | 14 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 75 |
| Pitt | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TOV | BLK | STL | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinson | 5-16 | 2-7 | 3-4 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 16 |
| Cummings | 4-10 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Sibande | 2-7 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Team | 16-53 | 5-20 | 13-21 | 29 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 53 |
“It was nice to have some key guys really step up, but this was definitely Kyle’s night,” Scheyer said. “He showed why he’s going to be a future lottery pick.”
With the win, Duke has now won five straight on the road. The Blue Devils have also won eight of their last nine meetings with Pitt.
What’s next
Duke will return home looking to keep their winning streak going when they host Miami on Saturday. The Blue Devils crushed the Hurricanes 68-66 when the teams met back on January 7th.
Meanwhile, Pitt will hit the road looking to rebound when they battle Notre Dame next Tuesday night. The Panthers defeated the Fighting Irish in overtime 76-75 earlier this season on December 10th.
With a manageable upcoming schedule over the next two weeks, Duke seems poised to keep surging. However, the Blue Devils face a daunting gauntlet in February battling national title contenders in Virginia, North Carolina, and Kansas all within a nine day span.
“We aren’t thinking about any of that right now,” Scheyer said. “Our focus stays squarely on continuing to improve each day and preparing to battle Miami first.”
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