Flagg's 24 points boost No. 4 Duke past Virginia Tech

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Cooper Flagg scored 24 points as No. 14 Duke won its seventh straight game, beating Virginia Tech 88-65 on Tuesday.

Tyrese Proctor and Kon Knueppel both had 13 points, Isaiah Evans posted 12 points and Sion James and Mason Gillis added 10 points apiece for Duke (11-2, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Flagg, a heralded freshman, shot 9-for-14 from the field with two 3-pointers. His dunk off an inbounds play marked his only points in the final 10 minutes. He also had six assists.

Toby Lawal scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half for Virginia Tech (5-8, 0-2), which was in its first true road game. Patrick Wessler had 10 points off the bench. The Hokies’ only win at Duke came almost 18 years ago.

The Hokies were within 49-40 before Proctor and Evans hit 3-pointers on the next two Duke possessions.

Takeaways

Virginia Tech: Guard Jaden Schutt, a first-year Hokie after transferring from Duke, was in the starting lineup, with Proctor the only former teammate in the Blue Devils’ starting five. Shutt’s early 3-pointer that gave Virginia Tech a brief lead were his only points.

Duke: The Blue Devils won their ACC home opener for the 18th consecutive season.

Key moment

Flagg picked up two fouls in the opening 7:01, though he had all eight Duke points at the time. After a stint on the bench, he converted a go-ahead four-point play to spark the Blue Devils’ 17-2 run.

Key stat

Duke used a 15-2 edge in second-chance points in the first half to hold a 37-27 lead at the break.

Up next

Duke visits SMU on Saturday, while Virginia Tech is home vs. Miami.

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