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Cooper Flagg leads the way as No. 9 Duke holds off No. 2 Auburn for an 84-78 win
The Maine basketball star scored 22 points.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Freshman sensation and Maine native Cooper Flagg had 22 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 9 Duke push past No. 2 Auburn 84-78 on Wednesday night in the SEC/ACC Challenge.
The preseason Associated Press All-American had 16 points after halftime to help the Blue Devils (6-2) hold off the Tigers and fellow All-American Johni Broome.
Broome had 20 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out with 15 seconds left for the Tigers (7-1), who missed seven straight shots in the final 4 1/2 minutes. That helped Duke keep tenuous control in front of its rowdy home crowd.
Still, the SEC won the intraconference series in a 14-2 romp, with Duke and Clemson registering the ACC’s lone wins.
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Takeaways
Auburn: The Tigers pushed Kansas for the No. 1 ranking after winning the Maui Invitational. But after Kansas lost at Creighton on Wednesday night, the Tigers followed shortly afterward in a March-worthy matchup.
Duke: The Blue Devils dug out from an early 11-point hole and repeatedly came up with timely responses to stay in control, leading by a dozen after halftime.
Key moment
Duke’s lead was just two when Flagg drove for a contested shot that was blocked, with the ball knocked loose out beyond the 3-point arc as the shot clock wound down. But teammate Tyrese Proctor collected the ball for a long straightaway 3-pointer to beat the horn for a 73-68 lead with 4:30 left.
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Key stat
Freshman guard Isaiah Evans didn’t play in Duke’s matchups against Kentucky, Arizona or Kansas and had just 29 points all season. But he came out of nowhere to score 18 points and shoot 6 of 8 on 3s before halftime for a game-changing spark off the bench, though he didn’t score after the break.
Up next
The Tigers host Richmond on Sunday. That same day, the Blue Devils open Atlantic Coast Conference play at Louisville.
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