Filipowski, Blue Devils pummel Panthers 75-53

Duke last played at the Petersen Events Center on Mar. 1, 2022. On that day, the Blue Devils pummeled the Panthers 86-56 in a game that marked a new era for both programs. 

For Duke, the game was the final road ACC contest in the career of legendary former head coach Mike Krzyzewski. For the Panthers, the game marked the beginning of the program turnaround under head coach Jeff Capel.

While both programs are in different stages than they were in 2022, the results were similar. The Blue Devils trampled the Panthers 75-53 in the inaugural Hoops4ALS game.

Sophomore center Kyle Filipowski continued his pure domination over the Panthers, finishing with 26 points and 10 rebounds. In three career contests against Pitt, Filipowski has averaged 25.3 points and 8.3 rebounds. Capel commended Filipowski for his play.

“We haven’t played anyone like Filipowski,” Capel said. “He’s incredibly unique. When you have a guy that is that big, can score inside and can shoot the basketball like he did tonight, it’s very hard to guard.”

Panthers redshirt junior forward Zack Austin led the team with 11 points. The Panthers were outrebounded 42-26.

When asked if the Panthers could take anything from this game moving forward, Austin kept his answer straightforward.

“No,” Austin said. “We lost by 22. There’s not much to take from this. I’m not a glass-half-full type of guy. We lost by 22 at home, in front of a great crowd.”

The Blue Devils started off hot with two quick baskets and four rebounds from Filipowski giving them a 6-2 lead. After a Panthers basket, Duke extended its lead to five with a three-pointer from senior guard Jeremy Roach, leading to a Panthers timeout.

Out of the timeout, a three-pointer from Hinson brought the game within two. But a 13-2 extended run gifted the Blue Devils a 22-9 lead. 

First-year guard Carlton “Bub” Carrington, a four-time ACC Freshman of the Week award winner, got off to an ice-cold start. The first-year guard failed to convert on his first four shot attempts. Despite four first-year guards starting for both teams, Carrington struggled the most to start the first half. 

Junior guard Ishmael Leggett, who has battled through injuries that kept him out of the Louisville contest, returned to action against the Blue Devils. A mid-range basket from Leggett ended the Blue Devil’s run. But they answered with a 5-0 run which gave them a 27-11 lead with 7:45 remaining in the first half. 

After starting the season shooting over 45 percent from three, Hinson saw a scoring drought which caused him to shoot 19 percent from three-point land over four games coming into this game. Hinson started a hot 3-for-3 from three. But no one else on the Panthers was nearly as efficient from three as the team shot 0-for-7 in the first half. 

On the other hand, the Blue Devils shot the three-pointer often and made plenty of them. Duke knocked down four three-pointers over four consecutive possessions to extend their lead to 39-19. 

The Blue Devils kept this momentum going to close out the first half, heading into the locker room with a 48-23 lead. 

Filipowski had his way in the first half finishing with 17 points and six rebounds. For the Panthers, Hinson scored a team-leading nine points in the first half, but the rest of the team shot 5-for-23. 

Redshirt junior forward Zack Austin opened the second half with the Panthers’ first non-Hinson three-pointer.

The Blue Devils extended their lead to 31 with a three-pointer from Filipowski. The Blue Devils had an answer for everything the Panthers threw at them defensively.

But Pitt wasn’t helping itself much on the offensive end. After the Austin three-pointer at the 19:22 mark, the Panthers scored just two points until the 11:35 mark of the second half. 

Carrington continued to struggle, scoring zero points on 10 shot attempts. The 10th shot attempt was blocked by Filipowski which further deflated an already dying crowd and caused a Panthers timeout. 

Carrington finally broke his scoreless streak out of the timeout with a three-pointer to cut the Duke lead to 31. 

The Panthers slowly chipped away at the lead despite Filipowski’s continued domination. A 14-2 run brought the game within 21 with 4:34 remaining. 

Despite the rough start, Carrington finished with 10 points and converted four of his final six shot attempts. However the Blue Devils’ lead was insurmountable and they coasted to victory.