Published Nov 8, 2024
Blue Devils blow out Army
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Conor O'Neill  •  DevilsIllustrated
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Duke makes quick work of Black Knights behind dominance in rebounding, long-range shooting volume

Duke trailed for the first time this season.

Hold off on sounding the alarm bells.

The No. 7 Blue Devils locked down Army for a 100-58 win on Friday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, wrapping up an unbeaten first week of the season ahead of next week’s trip to Atlanta for the Champions Classic.

Duke’s deficit was 3-2 after each team had one possession; it was not a harbinger of things to come. Duke (2-0) started cold (1-for-11) from 3-point range, but made 6 of the last 11 in the first half. They didn’t cool off, finishing 17-for-38 on 3-pointers.

It’s the most 3s Duke has made in a game since coach Jon Scheyer’s senior season; the Blue Devils made 18 of them in a game against Radford early that year.

An 18-0 run across 4½ minutes was bookended by a couple of Cooper Flagg 3s, the first ones of the ballyhooed freshman’s career. He had a double-double in the first half, with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

He played limited minutes in the second half because of cramping, it appeared, which might be the only negative about Duke’s first two games. Flagg exited Monday night’s game with a cramp, also.

Flagg and fellow freshman Khaman Maluach both had their first career double-doubles; Flagg finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Maluach had 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Rebounding was a big part of Duke’s 23-point halftime lead — the Blue Devils had a 35-16 advantage in the first half. That meant in the last two halves of basketball, Duke outrebounded its opponent by a combined 59-25.

Each Blue Devils started scored in double figures, led by Kon Knueppel’s 15 points. He made 4 of 6 3-pointers. Tyrese Proctor got hot in the second half and had 14 points, and Caleb Foster scored 11. Sion James came off the bench to score 12, too.

TIP-INS: Mike Krzyzewski was in attendance, as expected, given he’s a former Army player and coach. … Jalen Rucker led Army (1-1) with 17 points, making 5 of 9 3-pointers. North Carolina native Josh Scovens had 16 points and seven rebounds. … Spencer Hubbard made the last 3-pointer of the game for Duke; he’s now up to 10 career points over the last four years.