RALEIGH, N.C. — Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg scored 14 points in his return to action after missing two-plus games and the Blue Devils blew out No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s 93-49 in the NCAA Tournament’s first round Friday afternoon.
Tyrese Proctor scored 13 of his 19 points in the first half, Caleb Foster bagged 12 points off the bench and Khaman Maluach added 11 points for Duke, which is the No. 1 seed in the East Region.
Duke (32-3), which has a 12-game winning streak, will face ninth-seeded Baylor in Sunday’s second round. Baylor won 75-72 against Mississippi State in the site’s first game.
“To be in this position is awesome,” Duke’s Sion James said. “A lot of players (are) doing what they’re supposed to do and it’s happening at the same time.”
Arlandus Keyes came off the bench to score 15 points for Mount St. Mary’s (23-13), which won a First Four matchup against American on Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio.
The Mountaineers faced a huge challenge after quickly falling behind and didn’t make any sort of charge, scoring only 15 points in the first 16 minutes of the second half.
“I’ve got the best job in the world,” Mount St. Mary’s coach Donny Lind said. “I’ve said it the past 10 months. To share it with the people I love the most, which is my family and those guys in that locker room, has been unbelievable.”
It had been a week since Flagg, an All-American, exited in the first half of an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinal against Georgia Tech with a sprained ankle, and his status has been a huge topic in the sport ever since.
Flagg was eased back in, taking a break following the first media timeout, but he made his first four shots from the field. By the end, he shot 6-for-12 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds and delivered four assists.
All six of Proctor’s field goals were 3-pointers (6-for-8). The Blue Devils shot 50 percent from the field.
“I don’t think it’s a secret,” Proctor said of his recent 3-point shooting. “It’s just the work I’ve been putting in.”
Duke went to an array of reserves across the final 10 minutes.
Seven Blue Devils made at least one 3-point basket. Duke went 14-for-37 on 3-pointers, compared to 5-for-27 for Mount St. Mary’s.
Duke opened up a 13-4 lead, at which point Flagg had converted a three-point play and three other starters had scored.
–Bob Sutton, Field Level Media
