TUCSON, Ariz. — In a strong showing, Cooper Flagg led the No. 12 Duke Blue Devils to a decisive 69-55 victory over No. 17 Arizona on Friday night, scoring 24 points. Freshman Kon Knueppel contributed significantly as well, adding 13 points to the scoreboard.
Flagg electrified the crowd with an impressive one-handed dunk, extending Duke’s lead to 46-33 with 12:27 remaining. He showcased his skills by hitting 10 out of 22 shots, alongside pulling down six rebounds and dishing out three assists.
Duke (with a record of 4-1) controlled the game throughout the second half, maintaining their lead without ever falling behind. On the other hand, Arizona (now at 2-2) faced challenges and despite narrowing the gap to 54-48 thanks to Jaden Bradley’s layup with 5:40 left on the clock, they couldn’t close in further. Bradley emerged as the top scorer for the Wildcats with 18 points, and KJ Lewis added 12 points to the total.
By halftime, Duke was ahead 34-27 and showcased defensive prowess with a 22-14 advantage in rebounding, finishing the first half on a 6-0 run.
**Takeaways:** Duke approached their first significant away game with maturity, successfully integrating three freshmen into the starting lineup. Their physical play against Arizona, which featured two players standing at 7 feet, speaks volumes about their potential moving forward.
Arizona struggled to match Duke’s size, strength, and athletic ability, struggling in key areas like 50-50 loose ball situations and offensive rebounds during the game.
**Key Moment:** Knueppel made a significant impact by securing his offensive rebound, stepping back to the three-point line, and sinking a shot to boost Duke’s lead to 42-31 with 15:33 remaining, marking the Blue Devils’ first double-digit lead of the contest.
**Key Stat:** Caleb Love from Arizona, who was also a preseason All-America selection alongside Flagg, had a disappointing outing, finishing with only eight points on 3 of 13 shooting. Love had previously averaged nearly 17 points per game against Duke over eight contests, dating back to his tenure at North Carolina.
**Next Up:** Duke will face No. 1 Kansas in Las Vegas on Tuesday, while Arizona is set to take on Davidson in the Bahamas on Wednesday.
