Moore Has Triple-Double as No. 9 Duke Downs Army, 82-56

Courtesy GoDuke.com

DURHAM – Wendell Moore Jr., had a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to help ninth-ranked Duke beat Army 82-56 in Friday night’s home opener, backed by the return of the Cameron Crazies for the first time in a regular-season game in more than 20 months.

Freshman Paolo Banchero added 18 points for the Blue Devils (2-0), who were coming off Tuesday’s season-opening win against No. 10 Kentucky in New York.

Duke jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never trailed, but had issues stretching out a big lead on the pesky Black Knights (1-1) before stretching it out late.

Jalen Rucker scored 19 points to lead Army, which pushed back with nine straight points after Duke’s early run and trailed by between seven and 15 points before the Blue Devils finally stretched it out beyond 20 points in the final 5 minutes.

The night itself, though was more about a familiar feel for home games with the return of the Crazies — and Duke’s longstanding homecourt edge — after a season spent struggling without it. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski faced his alma mater and the program he led before taking over at Duke in 1980

BIG PICTURE

The Blue Devils opened the year by beating the Wildcats in Madison Square Garden behind big performances from freshman Trevor Keels and Banchero (22 points). Banchero had a strong start in his regular-season home debut and had 12 rebounds, while Moore’s performance was a welcome sign the junior.

UP NEXT

Army: Face Hartford on Saturday as part of the Duke Veterans Day Weekend Showcase presented by Ameritas.

Duke: Host Campbell on Saturday at 8 p.m. to cap off the event.