Duke Holds Off Upset Attempt From NC State

DURHAM, N.C. – A 19-point scoring run, spanning the halftime break, propelled No. 2 Duke past NC State, 74-64, on Monday, Jan. 27. The Blue Devils (18-2, 10-0 ACC) received double-digit scoring performances from Cooper Flagg (28), Kon Knueppel (19) and Sion James (13) to move past the Wolfpack (9-11, 2-7 ACC).

Flagg scored 23 of his 28 points after halftime, while also adding seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 37 minutes of action. Knueppel turned in his second consecutive double-digit outing, fueled by three first-half three-pointers and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, and swiped a career-high three steals to lead the team. James’s 13-point effort is his seventh double-digit scoring output of the season and the graduate chipped in four rebounds, three assists and one steal.

Khaman Maluach paced the Blue Devils with two blocked shots and reeled in a game-high eight boards.

NC State was led by Dontrez Styles who scored a team-best 18 points while Trey Parker scored a career-high 15 points off-the-bench.

Styles tied his career-high with four three-pointers but fouled out in the second half as he had the primary defensive assignment on Duke freshman superstar Cooper Flagg.

With the win, Duke extended its winning streak to 14 games, the longest active streak in the country and the Blue Devils’ first stretch of 14 wins in a row since the 2014-15 campaign. The Blue Devils move to 10-0 in conference play, giving them their best start to ACC action since the 2007-08 squad also opened 10-0.

No. 2 Duke remains at home for its next game, the first meeting of the season between Duke and North Carolina, played on Saturday, Feb. 1. The Blue Devils (18-2, 10-0 ACC) and Tar Heels (13-8, 6-3 ACC) will tip off at 6:30 p.m.

NC State is back in action Saturday afternoon when it hosts Clemson inside the Lenovo Center. Tipoff against the Tigers is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.