No. 2 Duke Rallies for 63-56 Victory at Wake Forest

Saturday, January 25

Winston-Salem, N.C.

4:30 p.m.

Duke University

17-2,9-0ACC

Wake Forest

15-5,7-2ACC

Duke

Wake Forest

No. 2 Duke Rallies for 63-56 Victory at Wake Forest

1/25/2025 7:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – A second-half comeback pushed No. 2 Duke past Wake Forest, 63-56, on Saturday. Jan. 25. The rally, fueled by 15 second-half points from Cooper Flagg, extended the Blue Devils' (17-2, 9-0 ACC) winning streak to 13 games and snapped the Demon Deacons' (15-5, 7-2 ACC) 10-game home winning streak.

Flagg finished the game with 24 total points and was joined in double-figures by Kon Knueppel and Mason Gillis, who scored 15 and 11, respectively. Both Knueppel and Gillis connected on three three-pointers, and Gillis's third three-pointer, from deep in the corner with less than a minute remaining, gave Duke a seven-point cushion.

Four different Blue Devils finished the contest with at least six rebounds, led by Knueppel's career-high nine caroms. Flagg reeled in seven boards and paced the team in assists with six.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Cooper Flagg scored the game's first points, connected on a mid-range jumper after just over a minute of play. Duke's first three-pointer came shortly after, courtesy of Kon Knueppel, putting Duke in front, 5-2, at the first media break.
The Blue Devils' defense held Wake Forest scoreless for over five minutes, taking a 7-2 lead following a Flagg layup. Tyrese Proctor and Mason Gillis scored a quick five points as the clock ticked under 11 minutes, pushing Duke in front by six, 12-6. Two free throws by Patrick Ngongba II with 10:24 on the clock and a jumper by Flagg on the next trip down the floor gave Duke its first double-digit lead, 16-6.
Seven straight points from Wake Forest trimmed Duke's lead to four, 17-13, with six minutes remaining before halftime. A three-point-play by Flagg gave the freshman nine points and snapped the Demon Deacons scoring run.
Five fast points out of the final media timeout of the first half, a Knueppel three-pointer and a Gillis fast-break layup, forced a Wake Forest timeout with 3:01 on the clock and Duke ahead by 13, 28-15.
Knueppel's third make form beyond the arc came with less than a minute in the first half, edging Duke in front by 13, 33-20. A layup in the waning seconds gave the freshman 12 first-half points and helped send Duke into the break with a 35-22 edge.
Wake Forest opened the second half with the first seven points, drawing within six, 35-29, triggering a Duke timeout with 17:02 on the clock. The Blue Devils were held scoreless for over three minutes, and the Demon Deacons took their first lead of the game, 37-36, following back-to-back three-pointers. Flagg tied the score at 39 with a three-pointer of his own, and the game remained tied at the under-12 timeout.
Wake Forest took its largest lead of the game so far, 45-39, just over halfway through the second half. Flagg cut into the lead with a shot from the free throw line and Duke trailed by four, 45-41, with 7:38 remaining. Knueppel made a contested shot in the paint and Gillis drilled a three-pointer from the top of the arc, pulling the Blue Devils within one, 47-46, with six minutes on the timer. Flagg put Duke back in front, 48-47, with a layup through contact and Proctor converted from the charity stripe to inch the Blue Devils ahead by two.
A dunk by Flagg, followed by two free throws, gave the freshman 21 points and Duke a 53-47 lead following 10 unanswered points by the Blue Devils. Duke made seven of their final nine shots from the field, including a key corner three-pointer by Gillis with less than a minute remaining, to claim the 63-56 victory.

NOTES

Duke increased its winning streak to 13 straight games, the longest active winning streak in the nation.
The 13-game winning streak is the longest by a Duke team under head coach Jon Scheyer. The last time the Blue Devils won at least 13 games in a row was during the 2014-15 campaign, when Duke reeled off 14 straight wins to begin the 2014-15 season.
Duke improved its record to 181-81 in the overall series against Wake Forest, including a 53-42 advantage in Winston-Salem.
With the win, Scheyer is now 71-20 (.780) as head coach of the Blue Devils.
Duke is now 6-0 in road games this season, the most games without a loss on the road to start a season since the 2018-19 schedule, when the Blue Devils won their first seven road contests.
Duke's 9-0 record in ACC play is the Blue Devils' best open in conference action since starting 10-0 in 2007-08.
The Blue Devils snapped Wake Forest's unbeaten record at home this season. The Demon Deacons entered Saturday's contest with an unblemished 10-0 record on their home floor.
Duke held Wake Forest to 22 points in the first half, the lowest first-half output by the Demon Deacons so far this season.
The Demon Deacons' 56 points is the second-lowest offensive output by Wake Forest this season and the fewest points at home since tallying 39 points in a loss to Clemson on Feb. 24, 2021.
The second-ranked Blue Devils are now 306-92 (.769) in ACC regular-season games when ranked as a top-five team in the country.
The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle, 46-29, and have out-rebounded 16 of their first 19 opponents this season.
Duke's defense limited Wake Forest to 56 total points, and has held all but one unranked opponent under 65 points.
Duke has now connected on at least one 3-pointer in 1,244 straight games, tied for the longest streak nationally.
Cooper Flagg led the team with 24 points, shooting 8-of-16 (.500) from the field. The freshman added one three-pointer and finished 7-of-9 (.778) from the free throw line.
Flagg now has 10 games with at least 20 points and has reached the threshold in four of his last six games. Duke is 9-1 when Flagg scores 20 points or more.
The freshman is now averaging 23.0 points per game in ACC play.
The Newport, Maine native also added seven rebounds and six assists. He has tallied at least five rebounds and five assists in four of his last five games.
Kon Knueppel scored 15 points, highlighted by three first-half three-pointers. Knueppel has now made at least three shots from deep in nine games this season and Duke is 9-0 in those contests.
Knueppel finished one rebound shy of his first double-double, reeling in a career-high nine boards.
Mason Gillis rounded out the double-digit scoring, contributing 11 while playing a season-high 23 minutes. Gillis connected on three three-pointers, including a key make from deep from the corner with less than a minute remaining, putting Duke in front by seven points, 59-52.
Gillis reached double figures in scoring for the fourth time this season, including the second time in the last three games, and the 32nd time in his career.
Tyrese Proctor secured a season-best eight rebounds to go along with six points, two assists and a pair of steals.
Patrick Ngongba II sparked the Blue Devils off the bench, contributing four points, three boards, a season-best two steals and a blocked shot, while finishing the contest with a plus/minus of +19 in a season-high 21 minutes of work.

UP NEXT

No. 2 Duke is back in action on Monday, Jan. 27, returning to Cameron Indoor Stadium to battle NC State. The Blue Devils (17-2, 9-0 ACC) and Wolfpack (9-10, 2-6 ACC) tip off at 8:30 p.m., with the game broadcast live on ESPN.

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

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