Cooper Flagg scored an ACC freshman record 42 points to help No. 4 Duke hold off Notre Dame on Saturday, 86-78, and remain undefeated in conference play.
The 6-foot-9 Associated Press preseason All-American made 11 of 14 shots, 4 of 6 3-pointers and 16 of 17 foul shots. He also had seven assists and six rebounds, putting together a complete ground game that allowed him to single-handedly wear down Notre Dame’s defense.
(Related: Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper at No. 1? Check out John Fanta’s latest mock draft)
Khaman Maluach added a season-high 19 points for Duke (14-2, 6-0).
Markus Burton scored 23 points for the Fighting Irish (7-9, 1-4), who made 14 of 23 3-pointers and continued to hang around to make things interesting at the end.
Takeaways
Notre Dame: The Irish fell into a 14-0 hole and trailed by as many as 18 in the second half before breaking away late for a two-possession game.
Duke: The Blue Devils have cruised through the top half of the league slate, shooting 51.6% while winning four of their first five ACC games by 20 points or more. Things were tougher this time, with Notre Dame (48.2%) becoming only the fourth opponent to shoot 40% all year.
Key moment
Notre Dame got within 80-76 on a late Burton runner, but Flagg responded with two free throws while Burton missed a drive on the ensuing possession. That allowed Maluach to make two free throws with 15.8 seconds left, bringing the lead back to two possessions.
Key statistic
Flagg has now made 12 of 22 3-pointers in his last six games. He was just 8 of 36 in his first 10 college games.
To be continued
The Irish will host Boston College on Monday. The Blue Devils close out a three-game homestand against Miami on Tuesday.
Associated Press reporting.
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