Flagg's double-double leads No. 4 Duke to an 8th straight win, 89-62 over SMU
Duke guard Cooper Flagg (2) shoots the ball over SMU center Samet Yigitoglu (24) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Dallas. Duke wins 89-62. Credit: AP/Jerome Miron
DALLAS — Duke standout freshman Cooper Flagg had 24 points and 11 rebounds as the fourth-ranked Blue Devils, playing without ill coach Jon Scheyer, extended their winning streak to eight games with an 89-62 victory at Atlantic Coast Conference newcomer SMU on Saturday.
Tyrese Proctor and Kon Knueppel each had 14 points for the Blue Devils (12-2, 4-0).
Wake Forest transfer Boopie Miller had 21 points for SMU (11-3, 2-1), which saw its seven-game winning streak snapped. Samet Yigitoglu, a 7-foot-2 freshman from Istanbul, had 10 points and 13 rebounds. Matt Cross had 11 points.
Scheyer didn’t travel with the team and missed a game for the first time in three seasons as Duke’s head coach. Associate head coach Chris Carrawell was the acting coach.
Duke came in with the league’s top scoring defense and throttled the ACC’s highest-scoring team. The Mustangs were averaging more than 87 points a game for first-year coach Andy Enfield.
The Mustang shot 34% from the field (23 of 67) and their only lead was 3-2 after Cross made a 3-pointer on their first shot.
Takeaways
Duke: The Blue Devils had quick responses each time SMU appeared to be making a run. The first was after an early 10-point lead was trimmed to 18-16. Flagg then had a jumper and a 3-pointer. … Duke was in Texas for the first time since losing to N.C. State in an Elite Eight game played at the NBA Dallas Mavericks’ arena about 5 miles away.
Duke guard Cooper Flagg (2) drives to the basket between SMU center Samet Yigitoglu (24) and forward Matt Cross (33) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Dallas. Credit: AP/Jerome Miron
SMU: With a sellout crowd, even with students not back from winter break, the Mustangs couldn’t generate any Moody magic for an early signature win with Enfield.
Key moment
After a jumper by Cross to open the second half and get SMU within 41-34, Flagg scored nine points in less than three minutes. That was part of a 13-3 Duke run.
Key stats
Duke outscored SMU 42-24 in the paint. The Blue Devils made 11 3-pointers while SMU had five.
Up next
Duke is home against Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, when SMU is at North Carolina.
