Flagg scores 16 in MSG debut and No. 3 Duke hands Illinois worst loss ever, 110-67

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 in a 110-67 blowout Saturday night that marked the most lopsided loss in Illinois 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.

Takeaways

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.

Key moment

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.

Key stat

Illinois missed its first 17 attempts from 3-point range and finished 2 for 26 from beyond the arc.

Up next

Illinois: Will resume Big Ten play at home Tuesday night against Iowa.

Duke: Will visit Miami on Tuesday night.

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