Duke University freshman and Maine native Cooper Flagg handles the ball as Maine’s Logan Carey during the teams’ season opener on Monday in Durham, North Carolina. Ben McCune/Related Press
DURHAM, N.C. — Star freshman Cooper Flagg had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists in his collegiate debut, and No. 7 Duke defeated 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 preseason Associated Press All-American from Newport, Maine, shot 6-of-15. He was successful, making all six of his free throws. Fellow rookie Con Knuppel strengthened the Blue Devils’ (1-0) offense by scoring 22 points and making three 3-pointers, recording a game success rate of 55.6%.
Quion Barnes scored 15 points for the Black Bears (0-1), but after halftime he was just 6-of-24 shooting (25%) and Duke pulled away. The Black Bears are projected to finish fourth in the America East, their highest finish since the 2010-11 season. They hung in there in the first half (45.5% shooting), but everything was a struggle after the break.
Maine’s Quion Barnes, right, attempts a shot while guarded by Duke’s Cooper Flagg during the first half of Monday’s game in Durham, North Carolina. Ben McCune/Related Press
Duke, the Atlantic Coast Conference favorite, had six players score in double figures, including returning players Caleb Foster (11 points) and Tyrese Proctor (10 points). Duke pulled away with an 11-0 run in the second half. Knuppel made a corner 3 off a feed from the flag and Theon James scored twice in the paint to extend the lead to 60-39 with 14:33 left.
Knuppel, a 6-7 wing, had 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and two threes by halftime. That included a four-point play in transition, as Duke outscored Maine 13-9 in the first seven and a half minutes, pushing Duke to a double-digit lead.
the final fear
As Duke was wrapping up the win, Flagg, 6-9, attempted a strong move across the lane for a layup. The player expected to be the No. 1 pick in next summer’s NBA draft whiffed and appeared to have a cramp in his left leg when he landed, requiring medical assistance from the bench.
As the capacity crowd waited pensively, Duke track and field trainer Jose Fonseca manipulated Flagg’s left leg, bending it, and the standout freshman carefully walked toward the bench. He drank water and smiled as he chatted with Duke coach John Scheyer.
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