MENS BASKETBALL
Duke 78, Georgia Tech 70
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kon Knueppel scored 28 points as No. 1 Duke overcame injuries to star Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown to beat Georgia Tech 78-70 on Thursday and advance to the ACC Tournament semifinals. Isaiah Evans scored 14 points on four 3-pointers and Khaman Maluach added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Blue Devils (29-3), who have won nine straight. Flagg appeared to land awkwardly on Baye Ndongo’s foot as he came down with a rebound late in the first half. The ACC player of the year retreated to the Duke bench and punched a seat in frustration. After being helped to the locker room, Flagg returned to the Duke bench in the second half without a boot on his foot. He did not return to the game. Brown went down with a shoulder injury in the first half. Duncan Powell led Georgia Tech (17-16) with 24 points. Duke missed its first 13 shots from beyond the arc and fell behind 26-12, matching the season's largest deficit. They trailed 26-17 when Flagg left the game, but cut the lead to five at halftime. Duke pushed its lead to seven early in the second half when Tyrese Proctor stole a pass and delivered a high-flying one-handed dunk in transition. THE TAKEAWAY
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets bench was outscored 21-6. Duke: The Blue Devils showed they have some firepower without Flagg and Brown on the court. After missing its first 13 3s, Duke went 7 of 17 the rest of the way. KEY MOMENT
Knueppel drove, scored and drew a foul for a 3-point play with about five minutes left in the game to put Duke up by 11. KEY STAT
Georgia Tech was outscored 28-12 to start the second half.
March 13, 2025