MBB: No. 3 Duke cruises past UVA, 80-62, to end win streak

By Scott Ratcliffe

No. 3 Duke used its overall combination of size, talent and defense in a lopsided, 80-62 victory over Virginia Monday night in front of a nationally televised audience at John Paul Jones Arena.

The Cavaliers (13-13, 6-9 ACC) saw their three-game winning streak come to an end, as the visitors flexed their muscles early and often, proving why they’re considered by many as a national championship contender.

The first-place Blue Devils (23-3, 15-1) simply owned the glass all night long, as proven by a quick look at the stat sheet — a 41-21 margin in total rebounds; 10-4 in offensive boards; 16-7 in second-chance points — and dominated the Wahoos (42-18) in the paint.

Leading by 14 at the half, Duke scored eight unanswered points coming out of the locker room to extend its already comfortable advantage to 51-29. Virginia missed its first three attempts out of the locker room.

UVA tried to feed off what little momentum it was able to generate, as Anthony Robinson finally got one to drop with 17:28 on the clock, leading to an impressive defensive sequence on the other end. First, Jacob Cofie stuffed a Kon Knueppel attempt at the rim, shortly before Robinson followed with a monster block on Player of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg, and the JPJ crowd finally had something to get excited about.

That all led to a strong take by Dai Dai Ames on the ensuing possession that got the Cavaliers back within 18, 51-33, by the first TV timeout of the second half. The Devils responded with a 9-2 spurt over the next four minutes, as an easy Flagg bucket off a UVA turnover made it a 25-point affair, and the Hoos could never really draw much closer from there.

It was a fairly even matchup early on before Duke took control with a 14-2 run, transforming a one-point edge into a 27-14 lead by the under-8 media timeout of the opening half. The run was capped by three consecutive 3-pointers — the first by Knueppel and the other two by fellow freshman Isaiah Evans.

The Hoos got within 10 points on a Robinson three-point play with 5:53 until halftime, and it wouldn’t get any closer the rest of the way, as the Devils led by as many as 27.

Duke shot 53 percent (31 for 59) for the game, including 39 percent from long distance (9 for 23) and 82 percent (9 of 11) from the foul line.

Flagg (14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals), Knueppel (7 rebounds, 3 triples) and Evans (5 for 6 from downtown) each registered 17 points to lead Duke’s offense, with Sion James (9 points) and Patrick Ngongba (8 points) each contributing as well.

The Cavaliers connected on 20 of their 52 attempts from the field (39 percent), 8 of 22 from beyond the arc (36 percent) and 14 of 17 from the free-throw stripe.

Ames and Andrew Rohde led the Hoos with 15 points apiece, with Rohde also leading the team with 5 rebounds and 5 assists (2 turnovers). Isaac McKneely added 14 points (4 for 7 from deep), while Robinson and Elijah Saunders both finished with 7 points and 3 boards off the bench.

Jon Golden Photo Gallery

Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• The Cavaliers’ three-game win streak ended with the loss
• UVA fell to 13-13 overall, 6-9 ACC
• UVA is 9-6 at home, including a 3-5 mark in ACC contests
• UVA yielded 80 or more points for the fifth time (0-5)
• Duke outrebounded UVA 41-21 and enjoyed a 42-18 advantage in points in the paint
• Duke shot 53.1 percent and outrebounded UVA 24-8 en route to a 43-29 halftime lead
• UVA (8 3-pointers) has made six or more 3-pointers in 24 games
• UVA forced one shot clock violation (9 this year)

Series Notes

• The Cavaliers are 54-126 all-time vs. the Blue Devils, including a 36-42 mark in Charlottesville
• UVA is 2-3 in its last five home games vs. Duke
• Seven of the last 10 meetings have been decided by four points or less
• The home loss was the largest against Duke since an 18-point loss on Feb. 28, 2010 (67-49)

Player Notes

• Double Figure Scorers: Andrew Rohde (15), Dai Dai Ames (15), Isaac McKneely (14)
• Rohde reached double figures for the 11th time (42nd career)
• Ames reached double figures for the fifth consecutive game and ninth time this season (17 career)
• McKneely reached double figures for the 20th time (46 career)
• McKneely (4 3-pointers) has made multiple 3-pointers in 19 games

UP NEXT

UVA will look to bounce back hit the road to face North Carolina on Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN.