DURHAM, N.C. — Freshman Paolo Banchero rebounded from a pair of subpar scoring performances to lead No. 5 Duke past The Citadel on Monday night.
The 6-10 Banchero poured in a season-best 28 points helping the Blue Devils pull away in the second half to top the Bulldogs 107-81 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Projected as a top-five pick in next summer’s NBA Draft, Banchero had scored 10 and 11 points in Duke’s wins over Gardner-Webb and Lafayette over the previous seven days.
But he looked more like a future lottery pick against The Citadel, hitting 10 of 19 shots while grabbing eight rebounds and collecting six assists.
Duke junior Wendell Moore continued his hot start to the season with 22 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
All five of Duke’s starting five scored in double-figures as Mark Williams added 14, Trevor Keels 11 and Jeremy Roach 10.
Leading by 10 points at halftime as The Citadel found early success from behind the 3-point line, Duke (6-0) used a 10-0 run early in the second half to push its lead to 20 points for the first time at 71-51 with 14:32 to play.
The Citadel (3-2) entered the game unfazed by facing an ACC opponent on the road. The Bulldogs opened the season with a 78-63 win at Pittsburgh on Nov. 9.
The Citadel was effective with perimeter shooting, sinking 18 of 34 3-pointers (52.9%). The Bulldogs hit 48.4% of their shots overall.
Hayden Brown and Brent Davis each scored 19 points to pace the Bulldogs.
The Citadel showed poise
The Citadel played all but 63 seconds of the game without head coach Duggar Baucom on the bench. Baucom collapsed causing play to halt with 18:57 left in the first half. He was helped from the court by medical staff and transported to Duke Hospital for evaluation. Associate head coach Jack Castleberry led the team the remainder of the game.
Duke’s defense was leaky
While starting the season with five consecutive wins, Duke allowed its opponents to average 58 points per game.
The Citadel scored 42 in the first half, thanks to far too many open shots than the Blue Devils would have preferred.
The Bulldogs hit 10 of 20 3-pointers over the game’s first 20 minutes. Even though Duke never trailed in the first half, its lead never grew larger than 12 points before the Blue Devils took a 52-42 lead to intermission.
Even in the second half when the Blue Devils pulled away, The Citadel kept hitting 3-pointers. The Bulldogs’ 18 set a record for an opponent against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Florida State (15) set the previous mark during a game on Dec. 30, 2017.
Wendell Moore keeps stuffing stat sheet
Ten days after recording just the fifth triple-double in Duke program history, the 6-5 Moore made a run at another against The Citadel, finishing one rebound and two assists shy of the accomplishment.
Moore had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists when Duke beat Army West Point 82-56 in its home opener on Nov. 12.
Gonzaga up next
Having won all five of its games during a 10-day homestand, the Blue Devils hit the road for two stern tests to close out November.
Duke plays No. 1 Gonzaga on Friday night in Las Vegas before traveling to Columbus, Ohio, to play Ohio State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Nov. 30.
