DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Star freshman Cooper Flagg had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists in his college debut, and No. 7 Duke beat Maine 96-62 on Monday night in the season opener for both teams.
The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Flagg — the nation’s top-ranked recruit and a preseason Associated Press All-American — made 6 of 15 shots and all six of his free throws. Fellow rookie Kon Knueppel powered the offense with 22 points and three 3-pointers for the Blue Devils (1-0), who shot 55.6% for the game.
Quion Burns scored 15 points for the Black Bears (0-1), which shot just 6 for 24 (25%) after halftime as Duke pulled away.
Maine: The Black Bears were picked fourth in the America East, their highest projected finish since the 2010-11 season. They hung around in the first half (45.5% shooting) but everything was a struggle after the break.
Duke: The Atlantic Coast Conference favorite had six players score in double figures, including returnees Caleb Foster (11) and Tyrese Proctor (10).
Duke pulled away with an 11-0 run in the second half. Knueppel made a corner 3 off a feed from Flagg and Sion James scored twice in the paint to push the margin to 60-39 with 14:33 left.
Knueppel, a 6-7 wing, had 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting with a pair of 3s by halftime. That included a 4-point play in transition that had him outscoring Maine 13-9 in those opening 7 1/2 minutes as Duke ran out to a double-digit lead.
The Blue Devils host Army on Friday in a home tuneup before facing No. 23 Kentucky in next week's Champions Classic in Atlanta. The Black Bears return home Wednesday to host Maine-Fort Kent, a United States Collegiate Athletic Association member.
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