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  • No. 2 Duke Gets Another Huge Performance From Cooper Flagg To Beat Rival NC State

No. 2 Duke Gets Another Huge Performance From Cooper Flagg To Beat Rival NC State

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Basketball

A 19-point scoring run, spanning the halftime break, propelled No. 2 Duke past NC State, 74-64, on Monday, Jan. 27. The Blue Devils (18-2, 10-0 ACC) received double-digit scoring performances from Cooper Flagg (28), Kon Knueppel (19) and Sion James (13) to move past the Wolfpack (9-11, 2-7 ACC).

Flagg scored 23 of his 28 points after halftime, while also adding seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 37 minutes of action. Knueppel turned in his second consecutive double-digit outing, fueled by three first-half three-pointers and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, and swiped a career-high three steals to lead the team. James's 13-point effort is his seventh double-digit scoring output of the season and the graduate chipped in four rebounds, three assists and one steal. 

Khaman Maluach paced the Blue Devils with two blocked shots and reeled in a game-high eight boards. 

With the win, Duke extended its winning streak to 14 games, the longest active streak in the country and the Blue Devils' first stretch of 14 wins in a row since the 2014-15 campaign. The Blue Devils move to 10-0 in conference play, giving them their best start to ACC action since the 2007-08 squad also opened 10-0.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • A driving layup by Khaman Maluach started the game's scoring on Duke's second possession of the evening. The visitors scored eight of the next ten, taking an 8-4 lead, before Cooper Flagg tallied his first points of the night and Kon Knueppel made a three-pointer to pull Duke within one, 10-9.
  • An extended 13-2 scoring run by the Wolfpack triggered a Duke timeout with 10:34 on the clock and the Blue Devils trailing by 12, 23-11. Duke's defense responded with multiple stops, while on the offensive end, the Blue Devils scored eight straight to pull back within four, 23-19.
  • Knueppel became the first player in double-figures, knocking down his third three-pointer to give the freshman 11 points, but NC State's lead grew to 13, 35-22, following its seventh three-pointer of the first half.
  • A three-point-play by Sion James narrowed the gap to just four, 37-33, at the halftime break. Knueppel and Flagg scored the first two buckets of the second half, knotting the score at 37 apiece with just over two minutes gone in the second stanza. Duke regained the lead, 39-37, on its next trip down the floor and forced an NC State timeout after a Flagg fastbreak dunk.
  • The scoring run reached 19 unanswered, spanning halftime, before NC State scored its first points of the second half with 13:41 on the clock and followed with a three-pointer to draw within three, 45-42.
  • Eight straight points from Flagg, including a four-point-play, expanded Duke's lead to seven, 57-50, and forced a Wolfpack timeout with 8:13 remaining in the game. The surge by Flagg pushed the freshman over 20 points, giving him his third straight 20-point game and 11th overall for the season.
  • NC State used a 7-2 run to draw back within one possession, 59-57, with six minutes on the clock. Duke used a timeout and converted out of the break with a James dunk, but the Wolfpack remained within striking distance after two free throws. Flagg laid in his 27th point of the night with just over two minutes to play, giving Duke a six-point cushion, 68-62.  
  • The Blue Devils closed on a six-point run, started with a Patrick Ngongba II layup with under 90 seconds to play, and Tyrese Proctor, Flagg and Knueppel helped ice the 74-64 win from the free throw line. 

NOTES

  • Duke extended its winning streak to 14 games, matching the longest winning streak since the Blue Devils won 14 consecutive games during the 2014-15 season.
  • The 14-game winning streak is the longest active stretch in the country.
  • The Blue Devils and Wolfpack met for the 258th time. Duke now leads the series, 153-105, including a 48-40 cushion at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
  • With the victory, Duke improved to 10-0 in ACC play. The last time a Duke team won its first 10 conference games was during the 2007-08 season, when the Blue Devils also began the ACC slate 10-0.
  • In the last 30 seasons, Duke has registered five 10-0 starts to ACC play, compared to just four for the remainder of the league in the same time frame.
  • The second-ranked Blue Devils are now 307-92 (.769) in ACC regular-season games when ranked as a top-five team in the country.
  • Duke head coach Jon Scheyer improved to 72-20 (.783) at the helm of the program, including a 43-3 (.935) record in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
  • The Blue Devils finished the month of January undefeated (7-0), joining their spotless December (6-0), going undefeated across those two months for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
  • Duke outscored the Wolfpack 19-0 across the first and second halves, closing the first frame on a 7-0 run and tallying the first 12 points after intermission. The 19 consecutive points, spanning 15:34 of game time, is the longest scoring run by the Blue Devils this season.
  • Duke overcame a 13-point first-half deficit to defeat NC State on Monday night, marking the third time this season the Blue Devils have rallied for a victory after trailing by double figures (Auburn, Louisville, NC State).
  • The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle, 42-27, and have out-rebounded 17 of their first 20 opponents this season.
  • Duke collected 32 points in the paint, compared to 16 by the Wolfpack. The Blue Devils have out-scored the opposition in the paint in 17 of their 20 games and have posted a double-digit margin in that category 12 times this season.
  • Duke's defense limited NC State to 64 points and has held all but one unranked opponent under 65 points.
  • Cooper Flagg amassed 28 points, including 23 after halftime, while adding seven rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal.
  • The freshman scored 10 straight points midway through the second half, including a 4-point-play.
  • Flagg registered an 11-of-13 (.846) showing from the charity stripe, and has made at least seven free throws in four of his last five games.
  • Flagg now has 11 total 20-point games and has scored at least 20 in each of Duke's last three games.
  • In ACC play, Flagg is averaging 23.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
  • Kon Knueppel posted a 19-point outing, including three made three-pointers and a perfect 6-for-6 showing at the free-throw line. The freshman also tallied a career-high three steals.
  • Knueppel has made at least three three-pointers in 10 games this season and Duke is 10-0 in those contests.
  • Sion James contributed 13 points on 5-of-8 (.625) shooting. The graduate also secured four caroms and dished three assists.
  • Khaman Maluach brought in a game-high eight boards, including three on the offensive glass, and blocked a team-high two shots.

QUOTES

  • "Obviously, that was a hard-fought game. Credit [NC] State with the way they came out. They had a pop to them. They shot the ball incredibly well. I think for us, just understanding the mental preparation. We couldn't do anything physical yesterday, and so I thought we weren't ready for the game that it was going to be. That's on me. I have to prepare them better and get them more ready. With that said, I thought that stretch, end of the first half, beginning the second half – that's happened to us a few times where you're down or you need a spark. What Sion James did there at the end of the first half – obviously, Cooper [Flagg] had plays throughout – but the defense, to me, told the story. Twenty-seven second half points. We went zone again. I didn't expect that, but obviously that was a big thing for us again tonight. I'm just really proud of our team. I think it's a special effort. They have special character, because clearly we didn't have our best stuff throughout. But the way we battled, I thought was big time. Really happy and proud of our guys." - Duke head coach Jon Scheyer
  • "We practice every day for this. We prepare for this. We've spent almost every day since we got here in June preparing our minds to be steady as we go. And that was one of the things that we were excited about going into the game. We were just going to be as steady as it comes." - Duke graduate guard Sion James
  • "I think it was a really gutsy, team win. [NC State is] a really good team. They came out with a lot of fire, a lot of energy, and played really fast. It was a good test for us, but a great team win and way to bounce back, go on a little run, and take the lead. They played with such high energy and such a fast pace. They create so many turnovers, you have to take care of the ball really well, and I thought they executed their game plan really well. It was just [about] getting back to our principles and playing Duke defense. I think that's what we did – I think we had 11 straight stops to start the half. That's what we talked about coming into halftime. Sitting down, getting stops, and letting everything else figure itself out." - Duke freshman guard/forward Cooper Flagg

UP NEXT

  • No. 2 Duke remains at home for its next game, the first meeting of the season between Duke and North Carolina, played on Saturday, Feb. 1. The Blue Devils (18-2, 10-0 ACC) and Tar Heels (13-8, 6-3 ACC) will tip off at 6:30 p.m., on ESPN.