Freshman Kon Knueppel scored a season-high 25 points as No. 3 Duke rolled to its 11th consecutive victory, wiping out Miami 89-54 on Tuesday night at Durham, N.C.
Cooper Flagg, just three days after setting an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman record with 42 points against Notre Dame, chipped in 13 points and Khaman Maluach compiled 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Blue Devils (15-2, 7-0 ACC).
Knueppel finished 6-for-8 from 3-point range and made 9 of 11 shots overall to eclipse his 22-point outing from the season opener. Duke went 17-of-32 from 3-point range, with reserve Mason Gillis notching all of his season-high 12 points on four triples.
The Blue Devils cruised despite attempting only seven free throws, as a 43-22 rebounding advantage was a bonus. Flagg supplied seven rebounds and six assists.
Lynn Kidd scored 20 points for Miami (4-13, 0-6), which has dropped its last six games. Austin Swartz added 11 points, draining half of the Hurricanes’ six 3-point baskets.
Duke surged ahead 44-17 with 4:26 left in the first half following a 14-0 run. Knueppel drained four threes and had 18 points as the Blue Devils carried a 50-26 lead into the break.
Duke was 11-for-17 on first-half 3-pointers, while Miami was 2-for-11.
The Hurricanes, who have lost 13 of their last 14 games, finished 6-for-20 from distance. Kidd shot 10-of-17 overall and never tried from beyond the arc.
The Blue Devils buried six straight 3-point attempts to open up a 27-10 lead midway through the first half. Knueppel sank three of the early 3s and Isaiah Evans added another off the bench.
Evans finished the half 2-of-4 from deep, while Flagg made 1 of 2 and Gillis canned all three of his attempts.
While the Blue Devils were raining 3s, Kidd started 5-of-5 from the floor and finished the first half 7-of-10.
The only free-throw attempt in the first half for either team came when Flagg completed a three-point play to make it 33-17 with 8:01 left.
Duke maintained at least a 19-point lead throughout the second half and pushed the margin to as much as 36 points on Gillis’ final three that made it 82-46 with 3:23 to go.
–Field Level Media