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  • No. 9 Duke Men's Basketball Topples The No. 2 Auburn Tigers In The ACC-SEC Challenge

No. 9 Duke Men's Basketball Topples The No. 2 Auburn Tigers In The ACC-SEC Challenge

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Basketball

Aided by 18 first-half points from Isaiah Evans and a 22-point, 11-rebound, double-double from Cooper Flagg, No. 9 Duke defeated No. 2 Auburn, 84-78, inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

The ranked win snapped a brief two-game losing streak at home to top-25 opponents and moved the Blue Devils to 38-15 all-time in top-10 matchups at home.

"That was a heck of a two hours. I thought it was a big-time college basketball game. We felt, coming in, that Auburn is as good as anybody. And I think they showed that tonight with their shot-making, their physicality, and their depth. But I really thought that our guys were as tough as could be. I think we've learned from some of these other games we've been in. For Cooper [Flagg], to have no turnovers, and to have 22 [points], 11 [rebounds] and 4 [assists] as a 17-year-old – I'm not sure how many 17-year-olds could play in this game, let alone do what he did. I thought he had a special toughness about him. I thought our entire team did. I'm sure you guys will ask me, so I'm just going to tell you how proud I am of Isaiah Evans. I get to see him, every day, in practice. Part of this is sometimes you don't play as much as you want to. Or don't play. And it's a long year. The attitude he's had every day in practice – coming up to the coaches and not working on shooting, believe it or not, but wanting to work on his defense or work on his rebounding or understanding rotations and coverages – I think it's a great lesson for young players. He wants to play. And I want guys who get pissed and have that edge about them and have that humility to attack every single day. To have that amazing courage to come into this game and do what he did – I'm not sure if I've ever been apart of something like that in my years here. There are maybe a couple guys I'm not thinking of. A special performance, in a special moment, where we needed him. I'm proud of our team. Two more things that were key for me. Fast break points, we got 16-0. That's a coach's dream right there. For us to have four turnovers against Auburn, after we had 13, 14, and 16 the last three games. Those two things, for me, were the difference."

- Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer

Evans and Flagg were joined in double-figures by Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster, who chipped in 12 and 11, respectively. Flagg also added a team-high four assists and was joined by Sion James as leaders in steals (three) and blocks (two).  

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Cooper Flagg scored Duke's first bucket, but Auburn connected on its first three three-pointers en route to an early 13-2 lead, triggering a Duke timeout with 16:18 on the clock.
  • The Blue Devils scored the next eight of the next 10 points and trailed by just five, 15-10, at the under-12 media timeout. A three-pointer from Isaiah Evans and a contested layup from Caleb Foster pulled Duke within one, 16-15.
  • Two more triples from Evans stifled a mini six-point burst by the visitors and forced an Auburn timeout with 7:39 remaining in the first half. Another make from distance for Evans gave Duke its first lead, 26-24, with just over six minutes before halftime. The Blue Devils extended their lead to as large as six, 30-24, following a tip-in layup by Maliq Brown. Auburn leveled the score at 32 at the final media break of the opening frame.
  • Duke closed the first half on a six-point scoring run, courtesy of three-pointers from Foster and Evans, and led, 43-36, after 20 minutes of play. The Blue Devils opened up a double-digit advantage, 50-38, with a free throw from Sion James and an alley-oop dunk by Khaman Maluach.
  • Flagg secured his double-double on Duke's next possession, scoring his 10th point of the contest with a floater in the lane. Auburn proceeded to narrow Duke's margin back to seven, 54-47, after five quick points in less than a minute.
  • An Auburn dunk pulled the visitors within two, 58-56, with 11 minutes remaining. Tyrese Proctor responded with his first three-pointer of the night, snapping a Duke scoreless drought of just under two minutes. The connection from deep led to an Auburn timeout with the Blue Devils ahead by seven, 63-56.
  • The Tigers made five straight shots, capped by a deep three-pointer, to make it a one-possession game, 66-64. The teams continued to trade baskets and Duke remained ahead, 70-68, with five minutes to play.
  • A deep three-pointer from Proctor as the shot clock expired edged Duke back in front by two possession, 75-70, and Auburn was never able to close within a single possession for the remainder of the contest. A contested floater from Kon Knueppel with less than a minute ballooned the Blue Devils' lead to seven, 79-72, and Duke iced the 84-78 victory from the free throw line.

NOTES

  • The Blue Devils have now won 14 of the last 25 clashes against top-2 opponents and own a 38-15 record in top-10 matchups all-time at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
  • Duke is now 36-3 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the past three seasons under head coach Jon Scheyer, including a 5-0 home record this season.
  • The triumph over Auburn is Scheyer's 60th head coaching victory.
  • Duke's 84 points are the most scored by an Auburn opponent since Feb. 28, when the Tigers lost to Tennessee, 92-84.
  • The Blue Devils' efficiency on offense resulted in a season-low four turnovers.
  • Duke held the Tigers scoreless in fast break points, while the Blue Devils netted 16 points in transition.
  • The Blue Devils are now 15-4 in games played on Dec. 4, including nine straight victories on this date.
  • Duke has now connected on at least one 3-pointer in 1,233 straight games, the second-longest streak nationally.
  • Cooper Flagg registered his third double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds, along with a team-high four assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
  • Isaiah Evans exploded for 18 points on less than 11 minutes of action in the first 20 minutes, connecting on 6-of-8 from behind the arc before intermission – the highest scoring half by a Blue Devil this season.
  • Tyrese Proctor tallied 12 points with a pair of three-pointers to extend his streak of making at least two triples in every game this season.
  • Caleb Foster also achieved double figures with 11 points, including nine in the first half, while dishing a pair of assists.
  • In his first start as a Blue Devil (and on his birthday), Sion James contributed in multiple ways with nine points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots.
  • Maliq Brown played a season-high 25 minutes and was Duke's second-leading rebounder with six caroms and scored four points.
  • Mason Gillis appeared in his 140th career game, with a record of 109-31 in those contests.

UP NEXT

  • Duke hits the road for its first ACC contest of the season, traveling to Louisville on Sunday, Dec. 8. Tipoff inside the KFC Yum! Center is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network.