Duke Opens Season with 84-50 Victory over Army

Monday, November 2

Durham, N.C.

6:30 p.m.

Duke University

1-0,0-0ACC

Army West Point

0-1,0-0Patriot

Team	1	2	F
Army West Point	18	32	50
Duke	33	51	84

11/2/2026 9:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)Coach Scheyer Presser

DURHAM, N.C. – The No. 2 Duke men's basketball team tipped off the 2026-27 season with an 84-50 victory over Army West Point on Monday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils were led by Dame Sarr, who was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line en route to a team-high 16 points. The win was head coach Jon Scheyer's 125th at the helm of the Duke program and extended the winning streak in season-opening contests to 27 consecutive. In home openers, the Blue Devils have now won 45 straight.

On the glass, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Patrick Ngongba II paced the Blue Devils with seven rebounds each, while both players also reached double-figures, with 15 and 10 points, respectively. The Blue Devils dominated on the interior with 50 points in the paint, including 12 dunks.

Defensively, Duke forced 24 turnovers which led to 29 points, including 16 steals and four shot-clock violations. Sebastian Wilkins was active in his Duke debut with a game-high four steals, while the Blue Devils as a team finished with the most steals under Scheyer, surpassing the 15 steals Duke recorded against USC Upstate on Nov. 11, 2022.

Boumtje Boumtje became the second-youngest player to debut for the Blue Devils, playing his first official game at the age of 17 years and 156 days. He trails only Mike Gminski, who debuted in November of 1976 at the age of 17 years and 115 days.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Patrick Ngongba II quickly put points on the board with a layup less than 10 seconds after the opening tip. Fast-break dunks by Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Dame Sarr forced an Army timeout with 17:33 on the clock and Duke in front, 10-0.
The Blue Devils continued to hold the Black Knights scoreless at the first media timeout, securing a 12-0 advantage. The visitors got their first points from the charity stripe at the 15:33 mark.
Duke was held without a field goal across a five-minute span, before a dunk by Drew Scharnowski snapped the drought and put Duke back in front by double-digits, 20-9.
An acrobatic pass by Deron Rippey Jr. set up Sarr for a fast-break three-point play, giving Duke a 29-16 lead with five minutes to play before halftime.
A high-flying slam by Rippey Jr., followed by a dunk by Sebastian Wilkins, triggered Army's third timeout of the first half with just under two minutes remaining before the break.
Duke emerged from intermission with 11 unanswered points, expanding the lead to to 26 points, 44-18, after a three-pointer by Cayden Boozer. The visitors responded with four straight triples, to bring the Black Knights back within 14 points. Rippey Jr. ended the scoring run with a corner three-pointer.
The two teams continued to trade points through the next phase of the second half, with the lead seesawing between 17 and 19 points. Two free throws with 10:01 remaining gave Ngongba II 10 points, the second Blue Devil to reach double-figures alongside Sarr.
A three-pointer from Boumtje Boumtje pushed the freshman into double-figures as well, with 11 points, and gave Duke a 22-point advantage, 59-37.
The lead grew to 30, 70-40, after an alley-oop dunk by Cameron Williams and a fast-break layup from Scharnowski. Another slam by Williams sent the game into the final media break with Duke in front by more than 30 points, 74-42.

UP NEXT

No. 2 Duke returns to action on Thursday, Nov. 5, hosting Coastal Carolina at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils (1-0) and Chanticleers (0-1) will tip off at 8 p.m., with the game broadcast on ACC Network.

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