Duke overcomes slow start to beat Lipscomb, 97-73

Chip Alexander, The News & Observer (Raleigh) on Dec 16, 2025

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DURHAM, N.C. — The most noteworthy thing about Duke’s win Tuesday over Lipscomb was that it gave Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer his 100th career win.

But few could have expected No. 100 to be quite as hard to get.

The No. 3 Blue Devils, coming back from end-of-semester exam break, took a 97-73 victory over the Bisons in a game that was too ragged, too sloppy at times, for Scheyer’s liking.

The Blue Devils will take an 11-0 record into their game Saturday against No. 19 Texas Tech in New York’s Madison Square Garden. It’s Duke’s best start to a season since 2017-18, when the Devils also won their first 11 games.

The Bisons (6-5), the Atlantic Sun champions last season, had a five-game win streak and a team that didn’t back off or flinch. Forget the final score. They battled defensively and ran their offense smartly much of the time, leading by as many as 10 points in the first half.

The Blue Devils, who oddsmakers made 32-point favorites, led 48-45 at halftime but only after a late-half surge. More alert defense and increased urgency were apparent from the start of the second half as the Blue Devils methodically pulled away to a comfortable-enough victory.

Cameron Boozer, like his teammates a slow starter, finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds and Patrick Ngongba also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Isaiah Evans had 16 points for the Blue Devils with four 3-pointers.

For the record, Scheyer now is 100-22 overall in his fourth season since taking over from Mike Krzyzewski, who again was in his customary sideline seat. Scheyer is 54-3 in home games.

But that 54th home win had the head coach squirming a bit and working the refs.

What did we learn about the Blue Devils?

Getting the rust off

There were signs of rust and being out of synch for the Blue Devils nearly the entire first half.

Boozer had the ball stolen off the dribble. Cayden Boozer had a dribble bounce off his sneaker for a turnover. Patrick Ngongba missed a point-blank layup. Nikolas Khamenia stepped out of bounds trying to get off a shot.

Get the idea? It was sloppy basketball. Duke had 16 turnovers — in the first half — that Lipscomb turned into 21 points.

When Duke’s Isaiah Evans hit two early 3s, it appeared the Blue Devils were ready for the expected wire-to-wire win. But the Bisons kept playing, looking to dribble-drive to the lane and find Duke’s defensive holes.

Lipscomb’s Mateo Esmeraldo, a physical 6-1 junior, didn’t back off. Esmeraldo had 12 first-half points and got eight at the foul line after challenging the Devils. Lipscomb was 13 of 14 at the line in the opening half, Esmeraldo finally missing the 14th.

Lipscomb’s guards were willing to pay the price to attack the rim, often crashing to the court as they put up shots.

Lipscomb led by as many as 10 points — 26-16 — midway through the half.

Getting just enough work

The Bisons gave the Devils plenty of work Tuesday — probably more than Duke expected.

Lipscomb opened in 1-2-2 zone and mixed it with both man-to-man looks and a 1-3-1. Offensively, Lipscomb spread the floor in the half court, used up the clock and kept the Blue Devils in motion.

Lipscomb had a 14-2 run in the opening half — Scheyer calling a timeout — and shot a respectable 45% from the field, hit free throws and had just seven turnovers. And scored 45 points.

If the Blue Devils were looking for a good post-exam workout to limber back up, they got it. The game was a good ‘tweener between Michigan State and Texas Tech.

Down but not out

For Duke, it was a scary sight.

Five minutes into the first half, Khamenia was in transition when there suddenly was a loose ball scramble near midcourt. The 6-8 freshman was knocked off balance and fell awkwardly — replays made it appear he might have landed chin-first.

Khamena stayed face down for several moments as the Duke trainers rushed in. He was helped up and taken to the bench, but was left bloodied.

Not that he was out for long. Repairs were made and Khamenia, a crash-and-bang kind of player, was soon back on the floor, ready for more contact.