Patrick Ngongba II put on a show Thursday night, and No. 2 Duke barely let Coastal Carolina breathe in a 113-52 rout at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Ngongba finished with 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting and added nine rebounds in 25 minutes, powering a Duke attack that was in control from the opening tip. The Blue Devils opened the game with the first 16 points, never gave up the lead and never saw a tie or a lead change.
By halftime, Duke had already built a 54-18 cushion. The margin only grew from there, with the Blue Devils outscoring Coastal Carolina 59-34 in the second half and stretching the advantage to as many as 63 points.
John Blackwell chipped in 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while Caleb Foster added 15 off the bench and knocked down 3 of 4 from beyond the arc in 17 minutes. Ngongba also hit 2 of 3 from 3-point range and made 6 of 10 free throws.
Duke’s numbers told the same story. The Blue Devils shot 38-of-62 from the field, good for 61%, and went 11-of-22 from 3-point range.
They owned the glass 53-27, piled up 25 assists and finished 26-of-41 at the line. They also had a 52-26 edge in points in the paint and outscored Coastal Carolina 27-11 in fast-break points.
Coastal Carolina struggled to find any rhythm, shooting 19-of-63 overall and 4-of-22 from 3-point range while turning it over 17 times. Trey Perry led the Chanticleers with 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting and made all four of his free throws. Jaevian Alston finished with 10 points and three steals off the bench, and Tristan Thompson scored seven points with three steals while going 2-of-10 from the floor.
Duke moved to 2-0, while Coastal Carolina dropped to 0-2.
In Other News...
Duke Just Sent A Clear Message About Nate Sheppards Rise
Dukes weekend was busy across the board, but the clearest statement came away from Cameron Indoor, where the football program formally kicked off a Heisman Trophy campaign for sophomore running back Nate Sheppard. It is the kind of move that only happens when a school believes a player has moved from promising contributor to national talking point, and Sheppard has certainly given Duke reason to make the push after leading the Power Four in multiple statistical categories.
The timing matters, too, because Dukes other teams were in the middle of a mixed stretch. The mens basketball team rolled past Coastal Carolina behind Patrick Ngongbas career-high 28 points and a double-double from Cayden Boozer, while the mens soccer team fell 2-1 to Clemson in the ACC Championship and the womens soccer team finished its regular season with a scoreless draw against Virginia. Against that backdrop, the football programs message was hard to miss: Sheppard has become one of the Blue Devils biggest national selling points, and the campaign only adds to the spotlight on what he might do next. [Read more 🡒]
Jon Scheyer Sent A Clear Message To Duke Freshman In Blowout Win
Jon Scheyer has made it clear all season that Dukes freshmen are going to be coached hard, and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje got a reminder of that in a blowout win. After a turnover and a missed dunk attempt turned into an opponents transition basket, Scheyer called him over for a timeout and sent him to the bench, a small moment that fit the standard the Blue Devils have been talking about since the season began.
Even with that brief correction, Scheyer has been encouraged by Boumtje Boumtjes early progress. The freshman has already shown he can help in meaningful minutes, especially on the defensive end, and Scheyer has pointed to his coachability as a reason for optimism. For Duke, the bigger picture is less about one mistake in a lopsided game and more about how quickly a young player is absorbing the demands that come with wearing the jersey. [Read more 🡒]
Manny Diaz Rumors Put Duke Stability Back In The Spotlight
Florida States decision to move on from Mike Norvell immediately sent a ripple through the coaching carousel, and Manny Diaz found himself back in the conversation almost by default. For Duke, it is the kind of outside noise that can arrive quickly around a coach who has already helped steady the program and draw attention with a strong run, even as the Blue Devils continue to focus on their own footing in the ACC.
Diaz has already addressed the speculation and made clear he is happy at Duke, which is exactly the sort of reassurance the program wants to hear when another job opens up in the region. The timing also lands in a conference landscape where NC State has been through its own recent football changes and uneven results, a reminder that stability is a valuable commodity right now and one Duke would prefer not to lose. [Read more 🡒]