Flagg scores 16 in MSG debut and No. 3 Duke hands Illinois worst loss ever, 110-67
AP
Feb 23, 2025
NEW YORK (AP) Cooper Flagg had 16 points in his Madison Square Garden debut and seven players scored in double figures for No. 3 Duke Blue Devils in a 110-67 blowout Saturday night that marked the most lopsided loss in Illinois Fighting Illini history.
Isaiah Evans paced the Blue Devils (24-3) with 17 points in 18 minutes off the bench, and Kon Knueppel added 15. Duke built a 23-point lead in the first half and scored its most points since a 113-49 win over Stetson in December 2018.
Flagg, the freshman star expected to be the top pick in this year's NBA draft, added seven rebounds and five assists in 23 1/2 minutes. But the Blue Devils didn't even need his best while rolling to their largest victory at MSG.
Tre White had 16 points for Illinois (17-11) in a nonconference matchup between programs that reached the Elite Eight last year. Kasparas Jakucionis scored 14.
Illinois: Hampered recently by illnesses and an injury to forward Morez Johnson Jr., the Fighting Illini have faded following a 12-3 start. They've lost three straight - by an average of 26 points to teams ranked in the top 11 at the time.
Duke: Eyeing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Devils boast one of the nation's stingiest defenses. They delivered an outstanding performance on that end of the floor in their first game since defensive stopper Maliq Brown dislocated his left shoulder in Monday's win at Virginia.
After getting whistled for two fouls in the first 11:18 of a quiet first half, Flagg opened the second period with a fast-break dunk. He added another jam minutes later and gave the Duke throng in a sellout crowd of 19,812 what it came to see.
Illinois missed its first 17 attempts from 3-point range and finished 2 for 26 from beyond the arc.
Illinois: Will resume Big Ten play at home Tuesday night against Iowa.
Duke: Will visit Miami on Tuesday night.
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1st Half
ILL
Fighting Illini
37
DUKE
Blue Devils
54
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
(Fighting Illini gains possession)
19:35
Tre White misses three point jump shot
19:33
Tomislav Ivisic offensive rebound
19:28
Ben Humrichous misses three point jump shot
19:26
Cooper Flagg defensive rebound
19:09
+3
Sion James makes three point jump shot (Cooper Flagg assists)
0-3
18:44
Tyrese Proctor shooting foul (Tre White draws the foul)
18:44
Tre White misses regular free throw 1 of 3
18:44
+1
Tre White makes regular free throw 2 of 3
1-3
18:44
+1
Tre White makes regular free throw 3 of 3
2-3
18:31
Sion James misses three point jump shot
18:29
Kasparas Jakucionis defensive rebound
18:21
Tomislav Ivisic misses three point jump shot
18:19
Tyrese Proctor defensive rebound
18:10
+2
Kon Knueppel makes two point layup (Tyrese Proctor assists)
2-5
17:55
Ben Humrichous turnover (traveling)
17:44
+3
Sion James makes three point jump shot (Cooper Flagg assists)
2-8
17:31
Tomislav Ivisic misses three point jump shot
17:29
Tre White offensive rebound
17:28
+2
Tre White makes two point layup
4-8
17:14
+2
Kon Knueppel makes two point jump shot (Khaman Maluach assists)
4-10
16:56
Tre White misses two point jump shot
16:54
Cooper Flagg defensive rebound
16:44
+2
Cooper Flagg makes two point layup
4-12
16:28
+2
Kylan Boswell makes two point layup
6-12
16:11
Sion James misses three point jump shot
16:09
Tre White defensive rebound
15:56
Tre White misses two point layup
15:54
Tyrese Proctor defensive rebound
15:46
Tyrese Proctor misses three point jump shot
15:44
Kon Knueppel offensive rebound
15:36
Cooper Flagg misses two point layup
15:34
Kasparas Jakucionis defensive rebound
15:27
+2
Kylan Boswell makes two point layup (Kasparas Jakucionis assists)
8-12
15:05
Tomislav Ivisic blocks Kon Knueppel's two point layup
15:03
Khaman Maluach offensive rebound
15:01
+2
Khaman Maluach makes two point layup
8-14
14:47
+2
Tre White makes two point dunk (Tomislav Ivisic assists)
10-14
14:25
Tomislav Ivisic shooting foul (Sion James draws the foul)
14:25
TV timeout
14:25
+1
Sion James makes regular free throw 1 of 2
10-15
14:25
Sion James misses regular free throw 2 of 2
14:25
Carey Booth defensive rebound
13:58
Tomislav Ivisic misses two point jump shot
13:56
Cooper Flagg defensive rebound
13:53
Kasparas Jakucionis personal foul
13:50
Isaiah Evans misses three point jump shot
13:48
Kasparas Jakucionis defensive rebound
13:38
Cooper Flagg personal foul (Ben Humrichous draws the foul)
13:34
Ben Humrichous misses three point jump shot
13:32
Kasparas Jakucionis offensive rebound
13:14
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn misses three point jump shot
13:12
Cooper Flagg defensive rebound
13:06
Cooper Flagg misses two point layup
13:04
Patrick Ngongba II offensive rebound
13:03
+2
Patrick Ngongba II makes two point dunk
10-17
12:43
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn misses three point jump shot
12:41
Cooper Flagg defensive rebound
12:37
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn shooting foul (Isaiah Evans draws the foul)
12:37
+1
Isaiah Evans makes regular free throw 1 of 2
10-18
12:37
Isaiah Evans misses regular free throw 2 of 2
12:37
Will Riley defensive rebound
12:13
+2
Will Riley makes two point jump shot
12-18
11:54
+3
Isaiah Evans makes three point jump shot (Mason Gillis assists)
12-21
11:36
+2
Kylan Boswell makes two point jump shot
14-21
11:16
+3
Isaiah Evans makes three point jump shot (Patrick Ngongba II assists)
14-24
11:00
+2
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn makes two point dunk (Tomislav Ivisic assists)
16-24
10:48
Isaiah Evans misses two point jump shot
10:46
Kylan Boswell defensive rebound
10:33
Kylan Boswell turnover (lost ball)
10:33
TV timeout
10:17
+2
Tyrese Proctor makes two point jump shot (Kon Knueppel assists)
16-26
9:59
Kasparas Jakucionis misses three point jump shot
9:57
Cooper Flagg defensive rebound
9:46
Tyrese Proctor misses two point layup
9:44
Khaman Maluach offensive rebound
9:42
+2
Khaman Maluach makes two point layup
16-28
9:25
Tomislav Ivisic turnover (bad pass)
9:08
+2
Kon Knueppel makes two point layup (Sion James assists)
16-30
8:55
Sion James personal foul
8:48
+2
Tomislav Ivisic makes two point layup (Kasparas Jakucionis assists)
18-30
8:42
Cooper Flagg offensive foul
8:42
Cooper Flagg turnover (offensive foul)
8:33
+2
Kasparas Jakucionis makes two point layup
20-30
8:15
Khaman Maluach misses three point jump shot
8:13
Mason Gillis offensive rebound
8:13
Tre White personal foul
8:11
+3
Tyrese Proctor makes three point jump shot (Sion James assists)