Jeremy Roach scored a team-high 14 points and all five Duke starters finished in double figures as the Blue Devils defeated Louisville 79-62 on Monday night in Durham, N.C.
Kyle Filipowski and Mark Mitchell both scored 13 points, Tyrese Proctor had 12 points and Dereck Lively II provided 10 points for Duke (20-8, 11-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), which has won three games in a row for just the second time since early December. The Blue Devils are tied for fifth place in the league.
El Ellis produced 21 points and seven assists while JJ Traynor posted 16 points for last-place Louisville (4-24, 2-15). The Cardinals had snapped a four-game losing streak with a Saturday win over Clemson.
The Monday contest began a three-game homestand for the Blue Devils, and they delivered after a slow start.
Duke made nine 3-point shots (on 22 attempts) and committed just six turnovers, while Louisville was charged with 12 turnovers.
Filipowski scored nine consecutive Duke points early in the second half as the Blue Devils extended their lead to 56-41. Even though the margin reached 17, the gap lingered around the 10-point mark for a stretch.
Jacob Grandison hit three 3-point shots off the Duke bench to end up with nine points. Filipowski finished with a team-high seven rebounds, and Roach delivered six assists.
Ellis cooled off after a hot start and wound up 8-for-15 from the field. Traynor had four 3-pointers and Ellis connected on three treys, but the rest of the Cardinals were a combined 0-for-7 from behind the 3-point arc.
Louisville bolted to a fast start and appeared to carry over some of the momentum from the upset of Clemson.
Ellis scored 11 of the Cardinals’ first 13 points. Louisville made seven of its first 11 shots from the field, including four 3-pointers, to build an 18-9 lead.
Duke used a 13-0 run that included five scoreless minutes for the Cardinals to go ahead.
Duke lost its previous two Monday games following a Saturday victory this season.
Louisville had prevailed in three of its previous six visits to Durham.
–Field Level Media
