Cooper Flagg scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for No. 9 Duke, but the visiting Blue Devils did not need their freshman phenom in the game as they rallied to beat host Louisville 76-65 on Sunday.
Duke (7-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed by as much as 30-16 midway through the first half thanks to the Cardinals’ making 10 of their first 14 shots, including seven of their first nine 3-pointers.
However, the shots would stop falling for the Cardinals (5-4, 0-1), who ended up shooting 37.3 percent overall.
Still, the hosts managed to hold on to the lead until Sion James’ dunk with 9:27 left tied the game at 55. James then hit a pair of free throws 41 seconds later to give the Blue Devils a lead they would not surrender.
Duke’s comeback came while Flagg sat after committing his fourth foul midway through the second half. His team held an eight-point lead by the time he returned nearly six minutes later.
The combination of Louisville’s shots eventually not falling and 10 first-half turnovers allowed Duke to crawl back into the contest. A three-point play by Flagg cut the Blue Devils’ deficit to 37-33 with 3:21 left in the half, but Duke’s cold shooting prevented making those their final points of the half.
Louisville’s cold shooting continued in the second half, as they made just 8 of 26 shots, including 3 of 15 3-pointers in the last 20 minutes. Meanwhile, Duke hit on 16 of 29 after halftime.
Flagg, who fouled out in the final minute, led four Blue Devils in double figures. Tyrese Proctor went for 13 points, Kon Knueppel added 12 and James finished with 11.
Terrence Edwards Jr. led Louisville with 21 points. Reyne Smith added 13, and freshman Khani Rooths posted a season-high 10 points and six rebounds.
Just seven players saw court time for Louisville as the team is dealing with several season-ending injuries that have cut short its bench.
–Field Level Media
