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Duke takes care of business: 3 takeaways from the Blue Devils' convincing win over Army

Steve Wiseman, The News & Observer on

Published in Basketball

DURHAM, N.C. — No. 7 Duke turned in another strong performance against an overmatched opponent Friday night, setting the Blue Devils up for next week’s first test against a ranked team.

Displaying lock-down defense while raining in 3-pointers, the Blue Devils rolled past Army West Point, 100-58, at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Having routed Maine (1-1) and Army (1-1) in the season’s first week, Duke (2-0) faces much tougher competition Tuesday night in Atlanta against No. 23 Kentucky (1-0) at the Champions Classic.

Standout freshman Cooper Flagg recorded the first double-double of his Duke career against Army, scoring 13 points with 11 rebounds. He accomplished the double-double prior to halftime as Duke built a 43-20 lead. Bothered by leg cramps for the second game in a row, Flagg played only six minutes in the second half.

Fellow freshman Khaman Maluach, a 7-2 center, also recorded a double-double, with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Flagg was one of six Duke players who scored in double figures. Kon Knueppel led the Blue Devils with 15 points as he hit 4 of 6 3-pointers. Tyrese Proctor also hit four 3-pointers to score 14 points.

Sion James added 12 points in a reserve role

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Duke’s defense set the tone

Army’s tallest players were 6-8, meaning the Blue Devils had decided advantages in height and athleticism.

That was apparent early as the Black Knights hit just four of their first 24 shots and had more turnovers (five) than made field goals when Duke built a 36-13 lead.

 

Army finished shooting 33% while making 8 of 28 3-pointers with 13 turnovers. Duke blocked six shots and recorded eight steals.

The Duke onslaught

With the Blue Devils having so much talent this season, it’s usually just a matter of time until they break off a scoring deluge to overwhelm an opponent.

Against Army, after both teams struggled to hit shots over the game’s first 11 minutes, Duke unleashed an 18-0 run to take control of the game.

The Blue Devils’ defense, which had already been outstanding, kept Army scoreless for 11 consecutive possessions, covering 6:15 of game clock.

The first 10 points of the run were scored in a quick 1:14 with Flagg hitting a 3-pointer, Maluach hitting two free throws, Knueppel hitting a 3-pointer and James turning his own steal into a layup off a feed from Flagg.

Cramps hit Flagg again

Flagg put a scare in the Cameron faithful late in Monday night’s 96-62 win over Maine when he fell to the court holding his left calf. It turned out to be severe cramps as his leg muscle seized up on him as he attempted a move in the lane.

Friday night against Army, Flagg began displaying issues with his left upper leg, in the quadriceps area. He spent most of the second half guzzling different fluids and using a messaging device on his leg before accompanying Duke athletics trainer Jose Fonseca to the locker room with 5:52 left in the game. He returned to the bench after a timeout with 3:44 left in the game but didn’t see any more playing time.

After the Maine game, Duke coach Jon Scheyer made clear what was already believed — that his team is going to need Flagg to play major minutes as the season progresses. That will certainly be true against Kentucky and, later in this month, in games with Arizona, Kansas and Auburn.


©2024 The News & Observer. Visit at newsobserver.com. Distributed at Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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