DURHAM, N.C. – A strong defensive effort by the Duke men’s basketball team helped secure a 70-48 victory over Seattle on Friday, Nov. 29. The Blue Devils held the visitors without a field goal for over 10 minutes to start the second half and received a balanced scoring effort on the offensive end, led by Tyrese Proctor’s 13 points and Kon Knueppel’s 11.
Cooper Flagg produced across the stat sheet, scoring nine points while also adding a game-high seven assists and a team-high nine rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Caleb Foster opened the scoring with a three-pointer on the Blue Devils’ first possession. Seattle also got points on the board early, knocking in two free throws. Another three-pointer, from Kon Knueppel, and a hook shot by Khaman Maluach put Duke ahead by four, 8-4, at the first media timeout.
- Knueppel put in eight early points to help Duke to a six-point edge, 20-14, with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half. The Blue Devils opened up a double-digit lead as large as 12, 28-16, following a jumper by Sion James. At the final media timeout of the first half, Duke remained in front, 28-19.
- A quick five-point burst, courtesy of a three-pointer by Isaiah Evans and a fast-break dunk from Cooper Flagg, forced a Seattle timeout with just over two minutes before the break. Duke headed into intermission ahead by 12, 37-25.
- Duke scored four quick points, courtesy of two layups from Caleb Foster, forcing a Seattle timeout after just over a minute of second-half action. A 12-0 scoring run, spanning halftime, pushed the advantage over 20 points, 46-25, at the first media timeout of the second stanza.
- The Blue Devils’ defense held Seattle scoreless for over eight minutes to start the second half, before two free throws by the visitors snapped the drought with Duke leading, 50-27. Seattle’s first field goal of the second half came at the 9:18 mark, a three-pointer, making it a 58-32 margin for Duke.
- The Blue Devils’ defense again forced a a long stretch without a made shot by Seattle, this time spanning over six minutes, to close out the 70-48 victory.
NOTES
- Duke outscored Seattle 22-8 in the paint, representing the first Blue Devils’ opponent to net single digits in that category. The previous season-low was Wofford (Nov. 16) with 16 points in the paint.
- Duke outrebounded the Redhawks, 44-37, and has now grabbed more boards than six of seven opponents for a 5-1 record in those contests.
- The Blue Devils tallied assists on 78% of their field goals, with 18 helpers on 23 baskets.
- After limiting the Redhawks to 48 points on Friday, Duke has now held its opponents to 62 points or less in all four home contests this season, an average of 50.1 points per game.
- Seattle shot just 21.3% from the field against the Blue Devils, a season-low by a Duke opponent.
- The Blue Devils have now defeated 29 consecutive unranked non-conference opponents at home.
- Duke is now 35-3 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the past three seasons under head coach Jon Scheyer, including a 4-0 home record this season.
- Tyrese Proctor scored a game-high 13 points with three 3-pointers and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, while adding four rebounds and four assists.
- Proctor has made two 3-pointers or more in all seven regular-season games – and both exhibition contests – to lead Duke with 23 triples.
- Proctor has also grabbed three rebounds or more in every game this season, including four boards on Friday night.
- Kon Knueppel also scored in double figures with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 from long distance.
- Cooper Flagg amassed nine points and team-highs of nine rebounds and seven assists.
- Khaman Maluach and Isaiah Evans added nine points each, while Sion James contributed six points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.
- QUOTES
- “There’s a lot that we need to work on. I give Seattle a ton of credit. They’ve lost a couple of really close games. They’re physical. They’re incredibly well-coached. They have a good team and good players that we knew would make us work for everything. That doesn’t change the fact that there were a lot of things I would like us to do better. We need practice time, so I’m excited to get back to practice and get to work.” – Duke head coach Jon Scheyer
- UP NEXT
- No. 11 Duke remains at home, welcoming No. 4 Auburn to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Tip off is scheduled for 9:15 p.m., and will be broadcast on ESPN.
- For more information on Duke Basketball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching “DukeMBB”.
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- Duke Centennial
- In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu.
