No. 1 Duke battled through early struggles and key injuries to star players Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown to defeat Georgia Tech 78-70 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday. Freshman Kon Knueppel stepped up in a big way, scoring a career-high 28 points to lead the Blue Devils (29-3) to their ninth straight win and a berth in the ACC semifinals.
Duke also got strong performances from Isaiah Evans, who hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points, and Khaman Maluach, who added 14 points and nine rebounds.
The Blue Devils had to adjust after Flagg, the ACC Player of the Year, suffered an apparent ankle injury late in the first half. Flagg landed awkwardly on Baye Ndongo’s foot while coming down with a rebound, immediately retreating to the Duke bench before heading to the locker room. He returned to the bench in the second half without a boot on his foot but did not re-enter the game.
Brown also left in the first half due to a shoulder injury, leaving Duke shorthanded.
Duke missed its first 13 three-point attempts and fell behind 26-12, matching its largest deficit of the season. They trailed 26-17 when Flagg exited, but managed to cut the lead to five at halftime.
The Blue Devils found their rhythm after the break, opening the second half on a dominant 28-12 run. A highlight moment came when Tyrese Proctor stole a pass and threw down a high-flying one-handed dunk in transition, pushing Duke’s lead to seven.
Georgia Tech (17-16) fought to stay in the game, led by Duncan Powell’s 24 points. However, Knueppel delivered the dagger with about five minutes left, driving to the basket, scoring, and converting a three-point play to extend Duke’s lead to 11.
The Yellow Jackets’ bench struggled, getting outscored 21-6. They will now wait to see if they receive an NIT bid. Despite missing Flagg and Brown, the Blue Devils proved they have depth, going 7-of-17 from three after their ice-cold start.
Duke outscored Georgia Tech 28-12 to start the second half. Knueppel’s 28 points marked a career-high performance in a crucial game.
Duke will face No. 2 North Carolina in the ACC semifinals on Friday after the Tar Heels defeated Wake Forest 68-59.
