As Cooper Flagg played the closest thing to a home game he’ll have as a college player, Boston College was bleeding but couldn’t stop the talented freshman.
A Maine native scored 28 points to lead No. 3 Duke to an 88-63 ACC basketball victory against Boston College at Conte Forum. “We’ve been here a lot, and the representation of Duke fans has always been great,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “I think this was the greatest I’ve ever seen it. A lot of stuff has to do with Maine, so it was quite wonderful to watch. And, obviously, he supported that with his performance.”
The 6-9 Flagg spent a portion of the second half with gauze in his right nostril after Boston College’s Roger McFarlane whacked him in the nose with his right forearm as they were tangled beneath the basket early in the half. McFarlane was penalized for a contact technical foul, but it had no effect on Flagg, who scored 20 points for the ninth time this season by hitting 9 of 14 shots against Boston College. He was obviously energized by seeing so many familiar people in the audience. “It’s huge, the level of support, and just to be able to see them show up and support just means a lot to me,” Flagg told reporters. “It simply gives me plenty
Tyrese Proctor scored 20 points for the Blue Devils (16-2, 8-0 ACC), who won their 12th straight game. This is the nation’s longest ongoing winning streak, and Duke’s first 12-game winning run since the 2014-15 NCAA championship season.
Duke’s Isaiah Evans scored 16 points, including four three-pointers. Boston College (9-9, 1-6 ACC) shot 58.3% in the first half but cooled off considerably after halftime, hitting only 32% of its attempts and finishing at 44.9% for the game. Here are three lessons from Duke’s recent victory: Proctor bounces back After scoring only three points in Duke’s previous two games, including his first scoreless game of the season last Tuesday against Miami, Proctor regained his scoring touch. The 6-5 junior guard made seven of twelve.
In Duke’s victories against Notre Dame and Miami, Proctor made only one of nine shots. These performances occurred after Proctor scored in double digits in four straight games, averaging 12.5 points per game. Saturday night at Boston College, he soon demonstrated that his shooting ability had returned. He had ten first-half points, making two of four three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes.
Duke’s offense continues flowing. The Blue Devils shot 52.6%, marking the eighth straight game in which they made 50% or more of their shots. That includes converting 57% of their shots in the second half, when they increased their 40-34 lead to a more comfortable final margin.
As much as Duke’s defense has been lauded this season as one of the finest in the country, the Blue Devils’ offense entered Saturday night ranked fourth in the nation in offensive efficiency (124.5 points per 100 possessions). That figure will rise after the Blue Devils averaged 1.35 points per possession versus Boston College. Flagg and Proctor are the only Duke teammates to score 20 or more points in the same game this season.
Duke’s defense is vulnerable in the early stages. By getting the ball inside considerably more than Duke’s coaches intended, Boston College made 8 of its first 13 points and shot 58.3% in the first half. That is the greatest shooting performance any team has had in a half against the Blue Devils this season.
The Eagles scored 20 baskets in the paint and led by as much as seven points in the first half before Duke grabbed a 40-34 advantage into halftime. “Our post defense has to be better,” Scheyer stated. “We just need to improve our ball defense. Most significantly, we weren’t moving five players on the string as we had previously. So that’s something we need to practice again.
Two factors contributed to Duke’s early struggles against the Eagles. One obvious example is the absence of 6-9 forward Maliq Brown. Brown, Duke’s sixth man who led the ACC in thefts at Syracuse last season, is expected to disrupt opposing attacks whenever he enters the game.
Normally, Brown spells Maluach to give the 7-2 freshman a rest. Maluach had a break, but not in the way Duke preferred. With 7:18 remaining in the first half, he received his second foul and was forced to sit.
Duke employed 6-11 freshman center Pat Ngongba at times, but also had 6-6 Mason Gillis play the five position (center) on defense, with Flagg also contributing to post defense.
Leave a Reply