Kyle Filipowski scored 21 points and No. 10 Duke overwhelmed visiting Virginia 73-48 on Saturday night in Durham, N.C.
Tyrese Proctor posted 15 points with three 3-point baskets and Mark Mitchell added 10 points as the Blue Devils (23-6, 14-4 ACC) stayed a game behind first-place North Carolina heading to the final week of the regular season.
Reece Beekman’s 18 points and Isaac McKneely’s 12 paced Virginia (21-9, 12-7), which has lost three of its last four games and four of six. In three of those games, the Cavaliers have surrendered at least 73 points.
Virginia shot 30.9 percent from the field, including 5-for-17 on 3-point attempts. The Cavaliers, who committed 12 turnovers, failed to reach the 50-point mark for the fourth time in their last five games.
Duke, which won two home games following last a loss at Wake Forest on Feb. 24, shredded the normally tight Virginia defense, shooting 49.2 percent from the field. The Blue Devils were hitting nearly 60 percent until the final eight minutes.
Filipowski went 9-for-14 from the field with seven rebounds and three steals. The Blue Devils enjoyed a 42-29 rebounding advantage.
Duke’s reserves outscored Virginia’s backups by 14-4.
With another game Monday night at North Carolina State, Duke sat out several starters for a few stretches of the second half.
The Blue Devils were up 40-18 at halftime in the first meeting with Virginia since winning last season’s ACC Tournament championship game.
Virginia scored the game’s first basket, but not many others across the first half. The Cavaliers had two stretches of almost four minutes in the opening half without a point.
Filipowski’s dunk with 9:57 left in the half gave Duke a 27-11. He had 13 points by himself.
Virginia’s credentials for an NCAA Tournament bid have taken a hit. In the last three weeks, the only victories for the Cavaliers came by two points vs. Wake Forest and four points at Boston College.
–Field Level Media
