Duke Hosts No. 18 Hight Point Wednesday Night

Wednesday, March 10

Durham, N.C.

7 P.M.

Duke University

High Point

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke Hosts No. 18 Hight Point Wednesday Night

3/9/2021 2:33:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Watch | ESPNU Live Stats Game Program Game Notes

The Opening Faceoff

Duke moved to 6-0 with a 13-6 win at No. 16 Richmond Sunday. The Blue Devils are off to their best start since the 2008 squad started 8-0. Duke has not allowed more than eight goals in each of its past four victories.
Duke once again had a balanced offensive effort at Richmond. Sowers led the way with five points, while three players had two goals apiece. Duke held Richmond to its fewest goals total of the year and Mike Adler was outstanding with 15 saves. He ranks ninth nationally in goals against average.
High Point is 1-3 overall with a pair of losses to No. 1 North Carolina and a third to a top-10 Virginia squad. The Panthers' lone win was a 21-15 triumph over Robert Morris.
Asher Nolting leads the Panther offense with 23 points, while Kevin Rogers and Braden Mayea both have 12 goals. High Point is averaging 14.75 goals per game and shooting .381.
Defensively, High Point has given up at leas 12 goals in all four games and allowed 27 at North Carolina. The Panthers have struggled at the faceoff X, winning just 38 percent of the draw. They have a successful 10-man ride and Noltin has a team-best five caused turnovers. Defenseman Clayton Krol also has five. Antonio Arcona has a 19.19 goals against average and a .418 save percentage.

Duke – High Point by the Numbers
32 – Assists needed for Michael Sowers to break Pat Spencer's NCAA career assists mark of 231
.640 – Jake Naso's faceoff win percentage, the best of any rookie to rank fifth in the ACC and 15th nationally
.388 – High Point's faceoff percentage this season
9.83 – Duke's margin of victory in its six wins over High Point
69 – Points from Duke's attack trio of Sowers, Robertson and O'Neill - 47 percent of the team's points total
3.75 – Assists per game for High Point's Asher Nolting, fourth best average in the nation
3.17 – Assists per game for Michael Sowers, eighth nationally
8.33 - Duke's goals against average in 2021, 12th among Division I teams
14.75 - Goals per game average for High Point, 16th nationally

Breaking Down the Blue Devils

Michael Sowers is the top scorer with 32 points (13g, 19a), while Joe Robertson has 20 (16, 4) in his four games. Nakeie Montgomery (10, 8) has 18, his second highest season total. Brennan O'Neill (12g, 5a) has 17 as a rookie. Twenty-one different players have scored at least one goal with Robertson leading the way with 16. Duke's attack trio has 69 of the team's 147 points.
Like on offense, Duke has depth at the defensive end with two rope units - Terry Lindsay, Jake Caputo, Garrett Leadmon, Blake Leischow and Matt Chmil – and two experienced goaltenders in Mike Adler and Turner Uppgren. The close defense is anchored by All-American JT Giles-Harris and sophomores Tyler Carpenter and Kenny Brower. Wilson Stephenson also can play down low, allowing Carpenter to move out to LSM and to the faceoff wing. Duke's scoring defense is statistically second in the ACC and 12th nationally.

What Gives?

Wednesday's game pits the high scoring offense of High Point against Duke's stingy defense. The Panthers are averaging just under 15 goals per game, while Duke is allowing just over eight. High Point sports an impressive .381 shooting percentage, but Duke is holding its opponents to just .244 shooting in the six games.

Nolting Versus The Blue Devils

Duke's defense has done well overall to contain High Point's Asher Nolting. In three games against Duke, Nolting has five goals and five assists for a 3.33 points per game average. The talented attackman is averaging 5.75 points per game this season and 5.57 for his career.

Starting Fast

After getting off to slow starts in the first quarters of their first two games – only scored three goals and gave up 10 – the Blue Devils outscored their opponents 23-6 in the opening 15 minutes of the past four games.
Duke has not trailed in a game since midway through the second quarter against Robert Morris.

Second Quarter Squeeze

Duke's defense has put the clamps on opponents in the second quarters this season. The Blue Devils have allowed just seven goals overall in the second period and giving up an average of just 6.33 shots in the quarter.
Duke has shut out three of its foes in the second stanza and forced a total of 33 turnovers in six games. The Blue Devils used the second 15 minutes to claw back from early deficits against both Denver and Robert Morris.

A Win over High Point Would