Cooper Flagg just gave Duke fans something to talk about for a long time.
In one of their most important remaining home games, the Blue Devils continued to flex their muscles against the ACC with a 76-47 victory against Pittsburgh. Three first-half 3-pointers from Kon Knueppel and a show-stopping second half from Flagg were crucial in the Quad 1 win.
"[I] thought the story tonight was our collective defense. To hold [the Panthers] to 47 points is terrific," head coach Jon Scheyer said. "And then the job that Cooper did in the second half, he just is so competitive, and he just brings out a lot of good stuff from from his teammates and for our team."
After 10 assists on 12 made baskets in the first half, Flagg pulled off some individual magic to open the second. Catching the ball off a screen, Flagg dribbled to the low post before rising for a silky jumper. He quickly snared two boards and a block on the other end, making up for lost time in the first half due to foul trouble.
That was only the appetizer for the feast to come, though, as Flagg slammed the dunk of the season moments later.
Despite picking up his third foul, Flagg continued to be aggressive on defense. He picked up a steal on a post-entry pass, steamrolled his way down the court and took flight to posterize Guillermo Diaz Graham for a dunk that will live on the highlight reels. Flagg and his teammates looked at the scoreboard as it replayed the moment, but he quickly locked back in to make his free throw and — just a few plays later — nearly tear the rim off with another slam.
"I've never seen a dunk like that while I'm on the court playing," freshman Khaman Maluach said of the play. "I don't know how to say, I can't explain. I almost lost my mind when I was out there."
"It reminded me of a Zion [Williamson] kind of play, because of how it sparked Cameron," Scheyer said.
It took a few minutes for the game to find its flow again after Flagg’s theatrics, but a triple from Jaland Lowe to bring the Panthers back within 10 forced Duke (13-2, 5-0 in the ACC) to respond. Seven combined points from Flagg and Knueppel did just that, stretching the Blue Devils’ advantage to 50-33 with 13:21 remaining.
A pair of Pittsburgh triples kept Duke from running away with things, and freshman Brandin Cummings layed home two buttery finishes in transition to force a timeout from Scheyer. The Blue Devils remained on a cold streak offensively until Maluach knocked down a pair of free throws and stretched his arms for a dunk under the rim.
From there, Duke coasted to its 13th win of the season. All five starters finished in double figures, and the Panthers (12-3, 3-1) finished with a paltry shooting percentage of 31%.
With the talent in Pittsburgh’s backcourt, the onus was on Maluach to produce in a big way down low. The Rumbek, South Sudan, native started off Tuesday night doing just that, pulling down a rebound in traffic and throwing down an emphatic dunk on the other end to open the game.
Maluach nearly blew the roof of Cameron Indoor when he lined up for a corner triple, but the shot rimmed out. Still, the 7-foot-2 freshman finished the first half with six points and five rebounds.
Outside the paint, the Blue Devils started hot from behind the arc. Tyrese Proctor and James knocked down a pair of corner threes from opposite sides of the court, and Flagg continued his recent hot streak from deep with a triple of his own at the top of the key.
The well quickly ran dry, however, as Flagg airballed his next attempt and fellow rookie Isaiah Evans was off on a pair of heaves. Duke’s ensuing 1-for-13 stretch from the field, paired with a string of unnecessary fouls, allowed the Panthers to take a 12-11 lead — their first of the night — with 11:16 remaining. Redshirt senior Zack Austin lined up a long ball that rang true and gestured to the student section afterwards.
The Blue Devils’ stingy defense was as present as ever in the first half, but a lack of rhythm on offense allowed Pittsburgh to keep its confidence despite a 30.8% shooting percentage in the opening 20 minutes. Two early fouls on Flagg, and nine total in the half, also contributed to the Panthers remaining within striking distance.
Maluach finally ripped the lid off the rim with a thunderous slam at 9:51, and graduate transfer Mason Gillis worked methodically inside for a bucket of his own. The Purdue transfer followed that up with an open three, after which he — and the entire Duke team — took a deep breath.
Then, it was Knueppel’s time to light up the scoreboard. Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel called a timeout after his first three, but he was undeterred, quickly knocking down another from the corner after the stoppage. The Milwaukee native buried his third 3-pointer on a nice feed from Proctor.
"[I] thought they were timely threes," Scheyer said. "In the first half, I thought we missed the looks. We couldn't get separation."
Both sides were sloppy to end the first — Maluach picked up two fouls under the offensive rim — but the Blue Devils still went into the locker room leading 34-24.
Next up for Duke is another home bout against Notre Dame Jan. 11.
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Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.