No. 5 Duke Stifles Georgia Tech, 82-56, in Road Victory

Saturday, December 21

Atlanta, Ga.

12 p.m.

Duke University

10-2,2-0ACC

Georgia Tech

5-7,0-2ACC

Duke

Georgia Tech

No. 5 Duke Stifles Georgia Tech, 82-56, in Road Victory

12/21/2024 2:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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

ATLANTA – Behind a dominant second half, Duke men's basketball defeated Georgia Tech, 82-56, at McCamish Pavilion on Saturday, Dec. 21. The Blue Devils (10-2, 2-0 ACC) held the Yellow Jackets (5-7, 0-2 ACC) to just 20 second-half points and a season-low 56 total points en route to the 26-point victory.

Kon Knueppel scored a game-high 18 points and was joined in double-figures by Khaman Maluach (15), Cooper Flagg (13) and Tyrese Proctor (10). Knueppel also finished with a game-high five assists and secured four rebounds. Maluach led the rebounding efforts overall for the Blue Devils, finishing with eight caroms. Maluach added six offensive rebounds, matching his effort against Army for the most offensive rebounds in a single game by any Duke player.

As a team, Duke shot 31-of-55 (.564), the highest shooting percentage for Duke in a game so far this season. 20 of Duke's made field goals were assisted, the second-most assists in a single game for the Blue Devils.Duke's defense remained stout, holding the Yellow Jackets to only 7-of-28 (.250) from the field in the second half en route to outscoring Georgia Tech 41-20 following the break.

HOW IT HAPPENED

An alley-oop dunk by Georgia Tech opened the game's scoring and Duke's first point of the afternoon came from the charity stripe, courtesy of Cooper Flagg. A three-pointer from Kon Knueppel earned Duke its first lead of the game, 6-4, and a Tyrese Proctor layup through contact sent the game to the first media timeout of the game with the Blue Devils in front, 8-6.
A fast-break dunk by Flagg made it an 11-2 scoring burst for the visitors and pushed Duke in front by six, 12-6. Three-pointers from Knueppel and Isaiah Evans extended Duke's advantage to double-digits, 22-11, and forced a Georgia Tech timeout with 11:48 on the clock.
Sion James' three-pointer marked Duke's seventh straight made field goal and increased the margin to 14, 25-11, just shy of the 11-minute mark in the first half. The Blue Devils lead grew to as much as 15, capped by Flagg three-pointer to make it a 37-22 lead, but the hosts responded with a 12-2 run to pull within five, 39-34, and trigger a Duke timeout with just over 60 seconds remaining before halftime.
Following the hot finish to the first half by Georgia Tech, Duke responded with 11 of the first 14 points of the second stanza, highlighted by a nine-point burst that forced a timeout by the Yellow Jackets less than four minutes into the second half.
The Blue Devils' defense flexed its muscle, forcing 11 consecutive misses by Georgia Tech spanning six minutes. Duke's offense built an 18-point lead, 57-39, during the stretch and remained ahead by the same margin, 62-44, following a Knueppel dunk.
The lead ballooned to over 20, 66-44, as the clock passed the halfway mark of the second frame. Georgia Tech didn't get closer than 18 points the rest of the way, as Duke closed out the 82-56 win.

NOTES

With the win, Duke moved its all-time record against Georgia Tech to 79-25. The Blue Devils have picked up wins in 18 of the last 20 meetings against the Yellow Jackets.
The fifth-ranked Blue Devils are now 299-92 (.765) in conference games when ranked as a top-five team in the country.
Duke is now 17-8 when playing on Dec. 21, and has won 14 of its last 15 games on that date, including four straight victories.
Saturday's contest marked Jon Scheyer's 400th game as a coach for Duke. After joining the staff as a special assistant for the 2013-14 season, the Blue Devils have a record of 309-91 (.773) in that time.
Saturday was Duke's third true road game before Christmas, the first time a Duke team has played three road games before the holiday since the 1990-91 season.
In those three road games, Duke posted an unblemished 3-0 record, winning all three by at least 11 points.
Duke's defensive unit limited Georgia Tech to a season-low 56 points, marking the fifth different opponent this season that has been held to a season-low output when playing the Blue Devils.
Duke shot a season-best 56.4% from the field, connecting on 31-of-55 field goals. The Blue Devils also shot 40.0% from three-point range (10-of-25).
All nine Blue Devils that played more than eight minutes scored at least two points.
The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle, 36-25, and have out-rebounded nine of their 12 opponents so far this season.
After allowing 36 first-half points, Duke's defense held Georgia Tech to just 20 points in the second half – the lowest point total in a second half this season for Georgia Tech and the fewest points scored by a Duke opponent after intermission this season.
On the offensive end, Duke ended the game with 20 assists, reaching the 20-dime threshold for the second time this season. The Blue Devils' season-high is 24 dimes, set against Wofford on Nov. 16, 2024.
A stretch of seven straight made field goals in the first half, spanning from 15:41 to 11:11 on the clock, helped Duke go on an extended 19-5 scoring run, seizing control of the contest.
The Blue Devils shot 15-of-24 (.625) in the first half, their best shooting percentage in a first half so far this season.
The triumph over Georgia Tech is Duke's 1,000th win against current ACC members (1000-512).
Kon Knueppel turned in an all-around performance, scoring a game-high 18 points, while also dishing five assists, reeling in four rebounds, and tallying one block and one steal, all without committing a turnover.
Knueppel shot 7-of-11 (.636) overall, highlighted by a 4-of-8 (.500) effort from beyond the arc. The four made three-pointers matched the freshman's season high for made three-pointers in a game.
Khaman Maluach scored 15 points, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and adding a 5-of-6 (.833) showing at the charity stripe. Maluach also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds – including six offensive boards.
The six offensive rebounds by the freshman matched his performance against Army West Point on Nov. 8, and is tied for the most offensive rebounds by any Duke player in a game this season.
On his 18th birthday, Cooper Flagg scored 13 points, while adding four rebounds and two assists.
Tyrese Proctor rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10 points, shooting 4-of-7 (.571) from the field.

QUOTES

"I thought for us, in the second half, we found a great thing – not that it was new – but Kon [Knueppel] and the decisions that he made, I think it's such a great lesson for any freshman or young player. He's played well, he just hasn't hit shots he normally does. I think it drove him nuts a little bit. But he's worked his butt off. He's made others better, he's tough, he rebounds, and at some point, the shooting is going to come with it. I thought he played a great overall game, not just the shooting. Collectively, I thought a lot of different guys stepped up and it was a great effort. Proud of our team. 20 assists, second highest we've had all year. I think our offense is coming along. We'll take a few days to be with our families and celebrate the holidays and then get back to it." -- head coach Jon Scheyer

UP NEXT

Duke welcomes Virginia Tech to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 31 for the Blue Devils' ACC home opener. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ACC Network.

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