Wendell Moore’s triple-double led Duke to an 82-56 win over Army Friday night, Duke’s regular-season home opener.
The game was nowhere near as one-sided as the score suggests. Duke never trailed. But the lead was single digits, at 51-42, midway through the second half, before Duke’s superior talent and athleticism wore down the visitors.
Deep down, we knew it was going to be a slog. Army is too smart, too disciplined to get into a track meet with Duke. But Army pushed the ball when the opportunity arose and 11 Duke turnovers gave them opportunities. Duke was sloppy at times, some of that no doubt due to a Tuesday game at Madison Square Garden that didn’t end until midnight or so.