Duke Dominates Coastal Carolina in First Half

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Duke Dominates Coastal Carolina in First Half

LAWRENCE, KANSAS - OCTOBER 25: Jon Scheyer of the Duke Blue Devils reacts during the first half of an exhibition game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on October 25, 2026 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Reed Hoffmann/Getty Images) Getty

Brett Peeples Jr. · HEAVY

Fri, November 6, 2026 at 5:16 AM UTC ·

4 min read

Duke: the offensive explosion

GettyDURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 02: Deron Rippey Jr. #3 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks the ball during the first half of the game against the Army Black Knights at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 02, 2026 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Alex Halloway/Getty Images)

Duke dominated the paint in the first half, only making three-pointers. The Blue Devils scored 26 points in the paint and shot 23 free throws, making 17 of them. Their size proved to be too much, and there was nothing that Coastal Carolina could do.

Duke shot 17/30 in the first half, which is 57% from the field. The only thing that they wish they could have done better is not turning the ball over. They finished the first half with 11 turnovers, but they still had a big lead, so it didn't matter as much.

Duke: Defensive Masterclass

GettyDURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 02: Dame Sarr #7 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts after a dunk during the first half of the game against the Army Black Knights at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 02, 2026 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Alex Halloway/Getty Images)

The Blue Devils' defense led to a lot of points on the other end. They forced 12 turnovers and had 9 steals that led to 21 points off turnovers and 21 fast-break points. This was a defensive masterclass by Duke, and they didn't give the Chanticleers any breathing room. This was about as good a defensive first half as Jon Sheyer could have asked for.

Even when they weren't forcing turnovers, they were forcing missed shots. Coastal Carolina shot just 6/29 from the field and 2/12 from three. Duke's pressure proved to be too much for them, as they looked uncomfortable the whole first half.

Players Leading the Rout

GettyDURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 02: Patrick Ngongba II #21 of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half of the game against the Army Black Knights at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 02, 2026 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Alex Halloway/Getty Images)

Patrick Ngongba led the way with 18 points on 6/8 shooting and had 8 rebounds. He went 6/10 from the free-throw line and was too much for Coastal Carolina to handle when he caught the ball in the paint. Caleb Foster added 10 points off the bench on 4/4 shooting. Cayden Boozer and Dame Sarr both had seven points each.

Everyone who was in the game was trying to attack the paint every chance they got. They had the size advantage, and it showed. The Blue Devils got good production from everyone who got in the game. It was a dominant first half by Duke, and from the start they overwhelmed Coastal Carolina.

This performance shows how dominant Duke can be and that they don't need to make threes to cause problems. They need to come out in the second half with the same energy and defense. Duke looked really good in the first half and will look to continue their dominance.

This article was originally published on HEAVY