SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 21 Duke beat Notre Dame 75-65 Wednesday night in an Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams at Purcell Pavilion. The Fighting Irish allowed a few close family and friends to attend games during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duke Freshmen Step up To Support Hurt – Box Score
The Blue Devils (3-2, 1-0) were playing for the first time since losing 83-68 to then-No. 6 Illinois last Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and were also without talented freshman Jalen Johnson.
Sophomore forward Matthew Hurt scored 18 points to lead the way for Duke and three freshmen also scored in double digits for the visitors who led 41-34 at halftime and then maintain control for the remainder of the contest.
Hurt, who leads the team in scoring this season, shot 8-of-17 from the field and added five rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 38 minutes.
Freshman DJ Steward had 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including three 3-pointers, while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds with two steals and fellow college rookie Jeremy Roach finished with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting for the Blue Devils.
Jaemyn Brakefield added 10 points and five rebounds off the bench, as Duke shot 53.3% (8-of-15) from the 3-point range in the win and the travelers were also able to limit the number of turnovers committed.
Krzyzewski Delighted With Duke Win
“We’re ecstatic about the win,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “(Notre Dame coach Mike Brey’s) team is a very difficult team to defend.
“They have all these shooters and he’s one of the best in teaching offense, and they’re a veteran team, so for our guys to beat them, we feel great about it.”
Dane Goodwin scored 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting with four 3-pointers to lead the way for Notre Dame in the defeat.
Prentiss Hubb added 12 points but no other player cracked double-digit for the Irish (2-3, 0-1), who collected a team-high seven rebounds from Nate Laszewski.
“I was disappointed in our defensive positioning most of the night,” Brey said. “I thought we could sit down in a stance better, and we never did that enough to really make it interesting.”
Jalen Johnson Out For Extended Period
Meanwhile, NBA prospect Jalen Johnson did not travel with the team and could miss at least two to three weeks with a foot injury. He is currently in a protected walking boot.
“He has a foot problem that I’m not going to say exactly what it is,” Krzyzewski said, “but he’s in a boot.
“He’ll be re-evaluated in two to three weeks, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be back in two to three weeks.”
Duke, which canceled all its nonconference fixtures, is now off for almost two weeks when the Blue Devils entertain Pittsburgh on Dec. 29.
Notre Dame will return to action this weekend when the Fighting Irish face Purdue on Saturday as part of the 10th annual Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis.
