Kon Knueppel’s heater, observations from Duke basketball’s exhibition vs Arizona State

Posted by Admin October 28, 2024 Basketball

DURHAM — Duke basketball closed out its preseason schedule with a 103-47 exhibition win against Arizona State on Sunday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The seventh-ranked Blue Devils welcomed Bobby Hurley back to Durham for the Brotherhood Run charity game, with proceeds going to the Duke Children’s Hospital.

Hurley, a two-time national champion at Duke who had his No. 11 jersey retired, is in his 10th season as head coach of the Sun Devils.

Caleb Foster, Tyrese Proctor, Kon Knueppel, Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach were the starters against Arizona State. Duke started the second half with a 59-19 advantage to take a 56-point lead in the final seven minutes.

Duke opens the regular season against Maine on Nov. 4 (7 p.m., ACC Network). Here are some observations from the Blue Devils’ exhibition game against Arizona State.

Cooper Flagg stats in Duke basketball game vs Arizona State

It was a quiet night by Cooper Flagg’s standards. Flagg, Duke’s top-ranked freshman, finished with nine points, four rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes. He also had a highlight dunk in the second half after a steal by Tyrese Proctor.

Kon Knueppel did a little bit of everything vs Sun Devils

Facilitating and snatching rebounds in the first half. Knocking down treys in the second half. Duke freshman Kon Knueppel showed off his versatility against the Sun Devils, finishing with a team-high 19 points, along with five rebounds and four assists. He had a quartet of treys during a three-minute stretch in the second half, including a four-point play.

Caleb Foster, Tyrese Proctor efficient as scorers

Duke’s top returners were efficient against Arizona State. Sophomore guard Caleb Foster was Duke’s most efficient player in the first half, finishing with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting as the Blue Devils’ calming, poised facilitator. Foster tallied 17 points, three assists and two steals. Junior guard Tyrese Proctor had seven of his 10 points in the first half. Proctor also had four rebounds and three assists.

Khaman Maluach’s overpowering presence

Khaman Maluach, Duke’s 7-foot-2 freshman center, had eight points, 12 rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes. His towering presence in the post caused Arizona State to alter its attempts and he remained the Blue Devils’ top rebounder, snatching down any ball in his area.

Mason Gillis, Sion James, Darren Harris give Blue Devils more from their bench

Arizona State had a 13-4 advantage in bench points at halftime. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Blue Devils had a 40-22 advantage. Purdue transfer Mason Gillis had 10 points, four assists and three rebounds. Tulane transfer Sion James had 13 points and freshman Darren Harris added 10.

Different shooting experiences for Duke, Arizona State

The Blue Devils and Sun Devils weren’t burning up the nets in the first half, combining to miss 40 of 62 shots, including 20 of 24 attempts from 3-point range. Despite struggling to consistently knock down jumpers, Duke made up for it with 22 points in the paint to surpass Arizona State’s halftime total (21). The Blue Devils heated up in the second half, making 15-of-23 three-pointers in the final 20 minutes.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.