DURHAM, N.C. — Freshman Kon Knueppel delivered a stellar performance on Tuesday night, scoring a season-high 25 points and sinking six three-pointers, guiding the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils to a commanding 89-54 victory over the Miami Hurricanes. This win allowed Duke to maintain its perfect record in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Khaman Maluach also made a significant contribution for the Blue Devils with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Duke showcased impressive shooting, hitting 54.8% of their shots and making 17 of 32 attempts from beyond the arc, with 11 of those three-pointers coming in the first half. The Blue Devils took a substantial 24-point lead into the break and managed to keep the Hurricanes at bay, never allowing them to reduce the deficit to less than 19 points throughout the second half.
Adding to Duke’s success was Cooper Flagg, who earned recognition earlier that day as the national player of the week after setting an ACC freshman record with 42 points against Notre Dame. Flagg contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in this matchup. For Miami, Lynn Kidd led the score sheet with 20 points.
The loss marked the Hurricanes’ sixth consecutive defeat and their 13th in 14 games during a challenging season, highlighted by the resignation of coach Jim Larrañaga after Christmas. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils extended their winning streak to 11 games, with an impressive five of those victories coming by 20 or more points.
Turning points in the game for Miami occurred at two critical moments. Early in the match, Knueppel and Mason Gillis (who chipped in 12 points) sank consecutive three-pointers, prompting interim coach Bill Courtney to call for a timeout. However, moments later, Gillis and Knueppel repeated this with a different order, pushing the score to 21-8 and forcing Courtney to call another timeout within just the first minute of play. Duke further widened the gap with a 14-0 run, featuring another three-pointer from Gillis and a driving layup by Knueppel, which led to yet another timeout by Courtney with the score at 44-17.
A key statistical highlight for Duke was their impressive ball movement, assisting on 17 of their 19 field goals and averaging 1.563 points per possession during the first half, ending it at a 50-26 lead.
Looking ahead, both teams will be back in action this coming Saturday. The Hurricanes will host SMU, while the Blue Devils will travel to face Boston College.