Maluach Scores Career-High 17 as Duke Defeats UIW, 72-46

Tuesday, December 10

Durham, N.C.

7 p.m.

Duke University

8-2,1-0ACC

Incarnate Word

5-5,1-1Southland

UIW

Duke

Khaman Maluach celebrates against Incarnate Word

Maluach Scores Career-High 17 as Duke Defeats UIW, 72-46

12/10/2024 9:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)Duke Quotes (PDF)Opponent Quotes (PDF)Coach Scheyer Presser Highlights Photo Gallery

DURHAM, N.C. – Twelve first-half points from Khaman Maluach helped propel Duke to an eventual 72-46 victory over the University of the Incarnate Word on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Maluach finished the contest with a career-high 17 points and was joined in double-figures by his classmates, Isaiah Evans (14) and Kon Knueppel (10).

Cooper Flagg and Sion James paced the Blue Devils with eight boards and Mason Gillis matched his career high with a team-leading five assists.

Duke's defense was stifling, highlighted by holding UIW scoreless for over six minutes to start the second half and just 15 points through the first 16 minutes of the second frame. The Cardinals entered the contest with the fourth-best shooting percentage in the nation from deep (.426), but the Blue Devils held the visitors to just 5-of-23 (.217) from beyond the arc.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Khaman Maluach got Duke on the board with a dunk in the first minute of play. A three-pointer from Kon Knueppel tied the score at five in the early going.
A contested layup from Cooper Flagg and a connection from beyond the arc by Tyrese Proctor helped move Duke in front, 10-5, at the first media timeout. The Blue Devils' defense held the Cardinals without a make for over four minutes before a layup with eight minutes remaining in the first half drew UIW within two, 12-10.
A three-point-play and alley-oop dunk from Maluach gave Duke a seven-point cushion, 21-14, and forced a timeout by the visitors. A driving layup from Proctor pushed the lead to double-digits, 24-14, shortly before the final media break of the opening half.
UIW responded with seven straight points and Duke called timeout with just under a minute before halftime. Another alley-oop slam by Maluach, his fourth dunk of the night, snapped the scoring run. Two free throws by the freshman pushed his first-half scoring total to 12 and sent Duke into intermission with a 28-21 advantage.
Seven quick points to start the second stanza extended Duke's lead, 35-21, and forced a timeout by UIW just over 90 seconds into the second half. Relentless defense by Duke led to multiple attempts late in the shot clock by the Cardinals and the Blue Devils continued to build their lead, 37-21, with 15:45 on the clock.
The Cardinals scored their first points of the second half with 13:23 on the clock. Caleb Foster answered with a driving layup, giving Duke an extended 13-2 run in the second frame.
With the clock ticking towards 10 minutes left in the game, Knueppel drilled a three-pointer, giving the freshman 10 points and the Blue Devils a 22-point lead, 48-26.
The Blue Devils maintained a lead of at least 20 points for the remainder of the contest, with an eventual nine different Duke players scoring at least four points en route to the 72-46 win.

NOTES

Tuesday marked the first meeting between Duke and Incarnate Word.
Duke is now 37-3 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the past three seasons under head coach Jon Scheyer, including a 6-0 home record this season.
Duke improved to 334-32 (.913) all-time inside Cameron Indoor Stadium when playing as a top-five team, and is now 21-3 when playing on Dec. 10, including 13 consecutive wins on this date.
The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle, 44-26, and have now finished with an edge on the glass in eight of Duke's first 10 contests this season.
UIW entered the evening ranked fourth nationally for three-point percentage (.426), but was held to just 5-of-23 (.217) from deep on Tuesday night.
Duke started the contest ranked eighth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.366) and limited the Cardinals to 32.1% shooting from the field.
The Blue Devils held UIW to 46 points – 32.8 points below the Cardinals' scoring average.
Duke's defense limited UIW to just five fast-break points and have held eight of their foes to single-digit points in transition.
Khaman Maluach scored a career-high 17 points, with 12 coming in the first half, to lead all scorers. In 22 minutes, the freshman went 6-of-7 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line, while also reeling in seven caroms.
Isaiah Evans poured in 14 points, fueled by a 4-for-6 performance from beyond the arc, all coming after intermission.
Kon Knueppel was the third Blue Devil to reach double-figures, scoring 10 points, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Knueppel has scored at least 10 points in eight of 10 games this season.
Cooper Flagg and Sion James paced the team on the glass, with each contributing eight boards each. Both players also scored six points, while James added three assists and Flagg dished two assists alongside one steal and one block, while playing a season-low 22 minutes.
Patrick Ngongba II had a career day, setting new benchmarks in points (six), made field goals (three) and minutes (18), while also adding five rebounds.

QUOTES

"It has been a heck of a stretch. It's a great start to the year and we've learned a lot about our team. Obviously, we didn't have our best stuff tonight, clearly in that first half, but I love the way we came out in the second half. I thought we were trying to make the right play, and I thought we were trying to be unselfish." - Duke head coach Jon Scheyer
"I was good on the offensive side, but credit to my teammates who passed me the ball when I was open. I did my job. I'm not doing anything different. I'm doing what I do each and every day. That's what I've been working on and that's my role. I hang my hat on the defensive side and always think about the defense first before the offense. I go into the game thinking about the defense and then everything else will follow. I'm feeling comfortable." - Duke freshman center Khaman Maluach

UP NEXT

No. 4 Duke resumes non-conference play in one week, welcoming George Mason to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Tipoff between the Blue Devils and Patriots is scheduled for 7 p.m., with the game available live on ACC Network.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMBB".

Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

#GoDuke