The No. 4 Duke Blue Devils continued their dominant stretch on Saturday, defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 86-78 to improve their record to 14-2 and extend their win streak to 10 games.
While Notre Dame had some offensive success in Cameron Indoor Stadium, they had no answer for Duke’s star freshman Cooper Flagg, who capped off his best performance of the season.
Flagg finished with a career-high 42 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, shooting an impressive 11-for-14 from the field, 16-for-17 from the free throw line, and 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. After the game, the ACC Network made announcements regarding history made during Flagg’s performance.
He set the record for the most points in a single game by a Duke freshman and also broke the conference record for most points by a freshman.
Cooper Flagg is the first freshman to record 40-plus points, five-plus rebounds, and five-plus assists in a game since Trae Young did it at Oklahoma in 2018.
This season, entering Saturday’s game, Flagg was leading the entire Duke roster in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and minutes played. He was averaging 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.6 blocks, and is coming off winning ACC Player and Rookie of the Week.
Flagg, who entered as the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2024, has adjusted seamlessly to the collegiate game. His ability to contribute on both ends of the floor is what sets him apart, making him one of the most sought-after prospects for the 2025 NBA draft in June.
