Duke Handles Pitt on the Road, 70-54, Behind Isaiah Evans’ Hot Hand
Duke didn’t have its full arsenal Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, but it didn’t matter. With starting center Patrick Ngongba II sidelined due to a hand injury, the Blue Devils still found a way to control the game and walk out of the Petersen Events Center with a 70-54 win over Pitt. That’s now 22 wins on the season for Duke (22-2 overall, 11-1 ACC), and another notch in the belt of a team that continues to find ways to win-even when the rotation gets shuffled.
With Ngongba out, Jon Scheyer turned to Maliq Brown to fill the starting center role. Brown gave Duke solid minutes, but the real story was the way the rest of the lineup stepped up.
Freshman Darren Harris saw his minutes increase, and he made the most of them-especially during a key stretch that spanned both halves. Harris knocked down timely shots that helped Duke seize control of the game and never look back.
Pitt came out swinging, jumping to a 12-6 lead early behind some hot shooting from freshman Roman Siulepa and Barry Dunning Jr. The Panthers live and die by the three, and for a few minutes, it looked like they might make it interesting.
But Duke didn’t panic. They weathered the initial storm, tightened up defensively, and closed the first half on a 6-0 run to take a 34-29 lead into the break.
The second half started the same way the first ended-with Duke in control. A quick 5-0 burst forced Pitt head coach Jeff Capel to burn a timeout, but it didn’t change the momentum.
The Panthers hung around, but they never really threatened. They struggled to generate anything inside, got virtually no production off the bench (just two points total), and couldn’t take advantage of Duke’s 13 turnovers.
Jon Scheyer made an interesting move to start the second half, inserting Harris over Isaiah Evans. Whatever the message was, it worked. Harris kept the offense humming, and when things got a little too close for comfort-Duke’s lead was trimmed to 56-47 with about five minutes to play-Scheyer called timeout, regrouped his squad, and the Blue Devils slammed the door shut.
The final stretch was all Duke. Cam Boozer drilled a three, Caleb Foster finished through traffic, then Foster and Evans each knocked down triples to put the game away. It was a veteran-type close from a young team that’s learning how to finish on the road.
Evans led all scorers with 21 points, including a scorching 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Boozer quietly posted a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Foster added 14 points, eight boards, and five assists-a complete performance from the sophomore guard.
For Pitt, Siulepa and Dunning did their part with 19 and 17 points respectively, but the Panthers just couldn’t find consistency. They were cold from deep (9-of-33), worse from the line (3-of-8), and got beat badly on the glass (Duke won the rebounding battle 37-23). It’s been a tough season for Pitt, now 9-16 overall and just 2-10 in the ACC.
Despite the win, Duke’s 13 turnovers are something to watch. Against a deeper, more efficient opponent, those giveaways could be costly.
And with Clemson coming to town Saturday in a game with major ACC implications, the Blue Devils will need to clean that up. The hope is that Ngongba will be back in the lineup, but if not, Brown has to stay on the floor-fouling out in 24 minutes won’t cut it.
All that said, winning by 16 on the road in conference play without a key starter? That’s not just surviving-it’s thriving.
This wasn’t a statement win, but it was a businesslike one. And for a team with championship aspirations, that’s exactly the kind of performance you want to see in February.