The Duke Blue Devils are back in action for their first regular-season game of the 2026-27 season, hosting Army on Monday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and the first half was a little shaky.
Duke, the No. 2 AP Top 25 team and one of the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament, leads 33-18 at the break.
The Blue Devils didn’t shoot well from the 3-point range in the first half, going 0-for-9. Army wasn’t great from the 3-point line either, going 2-for-15.
One thing that helped save Duke in the first half was its defense; it recorded 10 steals and shot 9-for-11 from the free-throw line. In contrast, Army went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, giving the Blue Devils many more chances to score.
Duke did get off to a 12-0 start, so it was a little underwhelming that it let Army keep it so close.
Duke forward Dame Sarr led the Blue Devils in scoring in the first half with seven points.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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