Hokie ClubDURHAM, N.C. — Cooper Flagg scored 24 points and No. 4 Duke shot 66.7% in the second half to win its seventh straight game, beating Virginia Tech, 88-65, on Tuesday inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Tyrese Proctor and Kon Knueppel both had 13 points, Isaiah Evans posted 12, and Sion James and Mason Gillis added 10 apiece for Duke (11-2, 3-0), which won its ACC home opener for the 18th consecutive season.
The Blue Devils connected on 18 of 27 (66.7%) in the second stanza en route to outscoring the Hokies 51-38. Duke finished with a 53.4% clip for the game (31-58) compared to Tech's 46.0% (23-50).
Flagg, a heralded freshman from Maine, shot 9 for 14 from the field with two 3-pointers. He picked up two fouls in the opening 7:01, though he had all eight Duke points at the time. After a stint on the bench, he converted a go-ahead 4-point play to spark the Blue Devils’ 17-2 run.
His dunk off an inbounds play marked his only points in the final 10 minutes. He also had six assists.
Tobi Lawal scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half for Virginia Tech (5-8, 0-2), which was competing in its first true road game of the season. Patrick Wessler had 10 points off the bench.
The Hokies were within 49-40 before Proctor and Evans hit 3-pointers on the next two Duke possessions.
Behind a 35-22 edge on the glass, the Blue Devils manufactured a 17-3 advantage in second-chance points. They also had an 18-8 lead in points off turnovers.
Tech returns to Cassell Coliseum for Saturday's ACC tilt with Miami. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. and will be televised on ACC Network.