DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 02: Patrick Ngongba II #21 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) Getty
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 02: Patrick Ngongba II #21 of the Duke Blue Devils jostles with Tate Laczkowski #32 and Jacen Holloway #10 of the Army Black Knights for a rebound during the second half of the game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 02, 2026 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Alex Halloway/Getty Images) Getty
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 27: Patrick Ngongba #21 and Caleb Foster #1 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrate during the second half against the St. John's Red Storm in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 27, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) Getty
Patrick Ngongba scored a career-high 28 points in Duke's 113-52 win over Coastal Carolina. Throughout the game, Ngongba dominated in the paint. He used his height and size to take advantage of the smaller Coastal Carolina team. He overwhelmed them and proved to be too much for them.
GettyDURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 02: Patrick Ngongba II #21 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)
Ngongba entered halftime with 18 points; he set the tone early on and continued throughout the whole half. He ended up scoring 10 more points in the second half, giving him his career high of 28 points. He was 10/13 from the field and 6/10 from the free-throw line. He even showcased his outside shooting, going 2/3 from three-point range.
He spent the whole first half around the rim, catching alley-oops and backing the opponent down. It was important for him to establish the paint game early on to dictate how the game was going to go. That put a lot of pressure on Coastal Carolina to figure out how to stop it. He was able to draw a bunch of fouls, adding even more pressure to their team. In the second half, he hit back-to-back three-pointers, showing that he is more than a paint scorer.
GettyDURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 02: Patrick Ngongba II #21 of the Duke Blue Devils jostles with Tate Laczkowski #32 and Jacen Holloway #10 of the Army Black Knights for a rebound during the second half of the game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 02, 2026 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Alex Halloway/Getty Images)
Ngongba also had nine rebounds and a block, giving Duke a defensive presence. He didn't have a lot of blocks, but he forced misses from all over the court. His defense may have even been more important than his offense. He has become more versatile on both ends through his time at Duke so far.
Ngongba makes players change their shots at times and creates difficult shots. His ability to make a difference on both ends is way more valuable than just his scoring. He plays hard every play and never takes a play off.
GettyWASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 27: Patrick Ngongba #21 and Caleb Foster #1 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrate during the second half against the St. John's Red Storm in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 27, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Ngongba is the perfect match for the guards that the Blue Devils have. Defensively, the guards like to pressure everyone up the court, so if they get beat, Ngongba is there to block a shot or force a turnover. He gives the guards the capability to pressure without worrying if they are going to get beat. Opposing teams don't want to drive it in on Ngongba.
Offensively, Cayden Boozer, Dame Sarr, Caleb Foster, and Deron Rippey Jr. like to attack the paint. This draws the bugs to try to block their shots, which leaves Ngongba wide open for a lob. He is also a really good passer, so when he gets double-teamed in the paint, he will kick it out to whichever guard is open. They all work well together.
This is a good game for Ngongba to build on going forward. Establishing dominance in the paint will open up so much more for the rest of the Duke team. He draws so much attention and commands a double team. This was a great game for him and a confidence booster heading into a juggernaut of a schedule.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Patrick Ngongba Sets Career High In Duke Win appeared first on HEAVY .
