Defense Leads No. 9 Duke to 71-53 Win Over Notre Dame

From Duke Sports Information 

DURHAM – No. 9 Duke used a balanced scoring attack, including a double-double by Mark Mitchell, to defeat Notre Dame, 71-53, on Wednesday night. The Blue Devils (17-5, 8-3) were led by Mitchell and Caleb Foster, who both scored 13 points, and finished with six players with at least seven points. 
 
Notables

• Duke's defense limited Notre Dame to 53 total points, 8.9 below its season average of 61.9. The Blue Devils have held 19 of their 22 opponents to below their respective scoring average.
• Duke's 17 consecutive points in the first half set a new season-high for longest scoring run, surpassing the 13 consecutive points it scored against Southern Indiana on Nov. 24 and versus Queens on Dec. 30.
• The Fighting Irish finished with 53 points, matching the lowest output by a Duke opponent this season (at Pittsburgh, Jan. 9).
• Notre Dame scored 25 first-half points, the second-lowest first-half output by a Duke opponent in ACC play, trailing only Pittsburgh's 23 on Jan. 9.
• The Fighting Irish shot 33.9% from the field (20-of-59), equaling the second-lowest shooting percentage by a Duke foe this season. The Blue Devils held Pittsburgh to 32.8% field goal shooting on Jan. 9.
• The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle, 43-35, matching the team's best rebounding performance in conference play, set at Louisville on Jan. 23.
• The Blue Devils secured a season-best 16 offensive rebounds, bettering their 15 offensive caroms against Louisville on Jan. 23.
• Duke finished with 21 second-chance points, compared to just two for Notre Dame.
• Duke outscored the Fighting Irish 38-20 in the paint, the second straight game with an 18-point advantage inside.
• Duke swatted six shot attempts, also matching the team's best shot-blocking effort in ACC action, first accomplished at Georgia Tech on Dec. 2.
• The Blue Devils have now won four in-a-row against Notre Dame to increase their series advantage to 31-8 overall and 11-2 in Durham.
• Mark Mitchell logged his third career double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. All three of his double-doubles have come this season, and Duke is 3-0 in those games and 27-3 when Mitchell scores at least 10 points.
• Caleb Foster finished with 13 points, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, in 25 minutes of action. The freshman also dished two assists and logged one steal.
• Jared McCain capped off Duke's double-digit scoring with 11 points, while also adding three caroms and two assists.
• Ryan Young contributed six points on 3-of-4 shooting, along with five rebounds, a team-high two blocks and an assist.
• Sean Stewart tallied four points, five boards, a team-best three steals and a blocked shot, which led to an alley-oop slam by Stewart at the other end of the floor.

Up Next

• No. 9 Duke (17-5, 8-3 ACC) remains at home for its second game of a three-game homestand, returning to action on Saturday, Feb. 10. The Blue Devils battle Boston College (13-9, 4-7 ACC) at 2 p.m., broadcast on ESPN.