Cooper Flagg delivered a standout performance for the Duke Blue Devils, scoring 26 points on Tuesday night, but two critical turnovers in the final moments allowed the Kentucky Wildcats to secure a 77-72 victory in a thrilling second-half comeback.
Duke entered halftime with a nine-point lead, but it was Kentucky that surged ahead early in the second half. The Wildcats opened the period with an 18-9 run, fueled by consecutive 3-pointers from veteran transfers Andrew Carr, Kerr Kriisa, and Ansley Almonor.
Both teams came into the matchup shooting over 40% from beyond the arc, but Kentucky quickly found their rhythm, hitting five of their first seven 3-point attempts, while Duke struggled, making just one of their first five. Despite the shooting disparity, the Blue Devils managed to maintain their lead, finding alternative scoring avenues.
In the first half, Flagg, Tyrese Proctor, and Kon Knueppel took turns leading the offense. Proctor, a returning junior, scored seven of Duke’s first 11 points, showcasing his versatility with a driving floater, a contested mid-range jumper, and a 3-pointer following a pump fake. Flagg then contributed significantly, scoring 10 of Duke’s 17 points during a key stretch.
Knueppel, who initially missed his first three attempts, found his rhythm and scored a crucial 3-pointer to extend Duke’s lead to 33-26. Together, the trio accounted for 34 of Duke’s 46 first-half points.
Duke maintained a slight advantage for the first ten minutes of the second half, leading by at least four points. However, their struggles from beyond the arc continued, as they finished the game with just four successful 3-pointers out of 22 attempts. Kentucky capitalized on this, with sophomore forward Brandon Garrison scoring six consecutive points, followed by Kriisa’s deep three that narrowed the deficit to 65-64 with 5:28 remaining.
In the closing moments, Flagg attempted to rally his team. He made a crucial defensive play to deny Garrison a layup that would have given Kentucky the lead, then converted two free throws to keep Duke ahead. After Kentucky took the lead with 2:40 left, Flagg responded with a contested jumper and another free throw, tying the game at 72 with a well-placed floater in the final minute.
However, the game unraveled in the last 15 seconds. With the score tied and Duke in possession, Flagg was stripped of the ball by Oweh. After regaining possession, he lost control near the baseline, resulting in a turnover that handed the ball back to Kentucky.
Flagg was the only Blue Devil to score in the final 6:30 of the game, and he was also the sole player to make a shot from the floor in the last 10:50. Proctor and Knueppel added just four points combined after halftime, while Kentucky outscored Duke by 14 points in the second half.
Duke will look to bounce back in their next game at home against Wofford on Saturday, before embarking on a challenging road trip that includes matchups against Arizona and Kansas.
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