Duke Rolls Over Belmont By 40

Duke showed a lot in its 40-point win over Belmont, but we’re going to start with one thing we’re not sure we’ve ever seen before: In the +/- column, every Duke player was + and every Belmont player was -.

It was bumpy, like exhibitions tend to be, but there was a lot to be excited about. Let’s start with the starters.

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Jon Scheyer opened with Pat Ngongba, JoJo Boumtje Boumtje, Dame Sarr, Cayden Boozer, and John Blackwell. As you probably know, Caleb Foster and Drew Scharnowski are out with injuries.

Ngongba picked up three fouls in the first half and wasn’t overwhelming, finishing with 5 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks. Obviously, the fouls limited him somewhat, and he had some back-and-forth with his opponents that got a bit intense.

He wasn’t overwhelming, but it didn’t really matter, because Duke just kept bringing talented players in.

Take Boumtje Boumtje.

He scored 19 points, shooting 7-11/2-5. He also had 7 rebounds. He was highly fluid for a guy who’s listed at 7-2, and he did reasonably well on defense, though that’s not his strength.

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Sarr is a much more physical presence than he was last season. He drove on a couple of occasions and handled the contact well. He shot 4-7/2-3 and was a real challenge for Belmont, whether on the perimeter or in the lane. Different player, quite simply, as evidenced by going 9-10 from the foul line.

Last season, he shot just 53.2 percent from the line, so that’s highly encouraging.

Boozer finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, and 1 block.

Blackwell wrapped up with 17 points on 5-10/2-6. Perhaps his best play was getting the ball back after Boumtje Boumtje hit a three just before the halftime buzzer to send the Blue Devils to the locker room on a 10-point run.

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Deron Rippey came off the bench, and while he started slow, he finished with 11 points on 4-6/1-1. He also got 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

Sebastian Wilkins played very well, wrapping up with 8 points, 6 boards, and 2…

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Publish date : 2026-10-09 04:06:00

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