Cooper Flagg, No. 2 Duke beat Wake Forest 93-60 to claim at least share of ACC regular-season crown

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DURHAM, N.C. — Freshman Cooper Flagg had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in possibly his final home game, helping No. 2 Duke beat Wake Forest 93-60 on Monday night to clinch at least a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title.

Fellow rookie Kon Knueppel added 17 points for the Blue Devils (27-3, 18-1), who led by 13 at halftime and then blew the game open midway through the second half.

The 6-foot-9 Flagg, a potential No. 1 overall NBA draft pick, checked out with 3:34 left. He greeted coach Jon Scheyer with a high-five and a hug as Duke’s “Cameron Crazies” chanted “One more year! One more year!”

Efton Reid III and Ty-Laur Johnson each scored 14 points to lead the Demon Deacons (20-10, 12-7).

Takeaways

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons had weakened their case for an NCAA bid by losing three of five to unranked teams, twice at home. They needed this Quadrant 1 win to help their postseason resume, but instead heard with chants of “NIT! NIT!” from the Crazies.

Duke: The Blue Devils entered the night with a one-game lead on No. 11 Clemson and No. 14 Louisville in the ACC. They’re now a win from taking the regular-season race outright.

Key moment

Duke led 47-38 before going on an 18-3 tear. That included a burst of three 3-pointers, the first from Sion James followed by a pair on consecutive possessions by Mason Gillis that pushed Duke ahead 65-41.

Key stat

Duke shot 53.8% after halftime and made 8 of 19 3-pointers, pushing the Blue Devils to a total of 14 3s for the game.

Up next

Both teams close the regular season Saturday. The Demon Deacons host Georgia Tech while the Blue Devils visit rival North Carolina.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/cooper-flagg-no-2-duke-024926105.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2025-03-04 02:49:00

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