DURHAM — Wofford had to know this type of showing was coming from Duke basketball.
Following a poor shooting performance in their loss to No. 19 Kentucky on Tuesday, the sixth-ranked Blue Devils torched the nets time and time again on Saturday afternoon, throttling the Terriers in a 86-35 blowout victory.
Duke (3-1) shot 48%, drilling 16 three-pointers, with 24 assists on 30 buckets against Wofford (1-3). The Blue Devils had four 3-pointers and 12 assists in the Champions Classic loss to the Wildcats.
Defensively, the Blue Devils didn’t allow the Terriers to reach double-digit points until the 3:27 mark in the first half. Duke forced four shot-clock violations in the second half, led by as many as 51 points and had four players finish in double figures, led by Tyrese Proctor (15 points).
Cooper Flagg had eight points, nine rebounds and six assists.
The Blue Devils will head west next week for their first true road game of the season at No. 9 Arizona (2-1). Following their game against former UNC guard Caleb Love and the Wildcats, Duke will face No. 1 Kansas (4-0) in Las Vegas on Nov. 26.
Here are some observations from the Blue Devils’ blowout victory against Wofford.
Patrick Ngongba makes Duke basketball debut
Patrick Ngongba, Duke’s 6-foot-11 freshman center who had a walking boot on his left foot in the preseason, missed the first three games before making his debut against Wofford. Ngongba entered the game midway through the first half, finishing with two points and three rebounds in 4 ½ minutes. He was particularly impressive on the offensive glass, pulling down two offensive boards to lead the Blue Devils. He finished with six rebounds.
Khaman Maluach, Sion James bounce back from Kentucky injuries
Khaman Maluach (cramps, big toe) and Sion James (shoulder) missed the final minutes of the Blue Devils’ loss to Kentucky, a pair of absences that proved to be critical in the closing stretch. After banging up his shoulder against the Wildcats, James returned with five points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals against Wofford. He’s a proven connector on both ends.
Maluach was in the starting lineup, but limped to the bench after two minutes. After removing his right shoe, and getting a look from Duke trainer Jose Fonseca, Maluach returned to the game. The 7-foot-2 center scored nine of his 11 points in the first half.
Isaiah Evans, Duke bench come up big for Blue Devils
Thirteen Duke players saw action against Wofford, and 11 of them scored. Fayetteville native Isaiah Evans led the effort as a microwave scorer, dropping 14 points in 12 minutes. Evans knocked down four 3s, leading Duke’s 31-5 advantage in bench points.
Tyrese Proctor’s fast start for Duke vs Wofford
Duke junior guard Tyrese Proctor scored 11 points in the first seven minutes, finishing the first half with 12 points to nearly match Wofford, which trailed 51-14. Proctor, who knocked down a trio of treys, has made multiple 3-pointers in each of Duke’s four games this season. He had 15 points.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayoberser.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball: Patrick Ngongba makes debut, Blue Devils rout Wofford
