DURHAM, N.C. — Star freshman Cooper Flagg scored 23 of his 28 points after halftime to help No. 2 Duke hold off North Carolina State 74-64 on Monday night.
Fellow rookie Kon Knueppel had 19 points for the Blue Devils (18-2, 10-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have won 14 straight games. And they had to fight the entire way to get there.
That’s because the Wolfpack (9-11, 2-7) played loose and fearlessly to build a 13-point first-half lead and then stay within reach of Duke every time the Blue Devils tried to push free in the final 10 minutes.
Dontrez Styles scored 18 points for N.C. State, which shot just 32% after halftime but matched its season high with 10 3-pointers.
This was a rematch of an NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game won by the Wolfpack during the program’s improbable Final Four run last year. The game also had a pair of stoppages in the last 4 1/2 minutes for health reasons, first when Duke freshman center Khaman Maluach vomited on the baseline during play and then when one of the “Cameron Crazies” fans apparently fainted and had to be carried out of the bleachers.
Takeaways
N.C. State: The Wolfpack entered having lost four straight league games by a combined margin of 14 points, and coach Kevin Keatts’ club gave Duke fits all night in this one.
Duke: The Blue Devils were coming off their closest call in league play, a 63-56 win Saturday at Wake Forest. This one was another test.
Key moment
Duke ran off 19 consecutive points spanning halftime, first with the final seven points of the first half and then the first 12 of the second. Flagg scored eight in that run, which erased Duke’s big first-half deficit.
Key stat
Marcus Hill, the Wolfpack’s leading scorer at 13.2 points per game, finished with four on 1-for-10 shooting. His lone basket came on a whistle-drawing layup at the 4:40 mark.
Up next
Both teams play Saturday. N.C. State hosts Clemson, while Duke hosts rival North Carolina.
Story by Aaron Beard, AP Basketball Writer
