Flagg, No. 2 Duke push past Wake Forest 63-56 to stay unbeaten in ACC

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Star freshman Cooper Flagg had 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists as second-ranked Duke pushed past Wake Forest 63-56 on Saturday.

Fellow freshman Kon Knueppel had 15 points for the Blue Devils (17-2, 9-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who missed their first 13 shots after halftime and went 1 for 19 through the first 12 minutes of the second half.

That helped Wake Forest rally from 15 down before halftime to push ahead 45-39 on Juke Harris’ basket at the 9:55 mark. Duke responded with seven straight scoring possessions, going up 53-47 on Flagg’s two free throws with 3:53 left.

Harris scored 14 points to lead the Demon Deacons (15-5, 7-2), who had the backing of a loud and festive home crowd eager to storm the court against Duke for the second straight year. This time, they couldn’t close it when Duke wobbled.

Duke: The Blue Devils had yet to play an ACC game closer than 11 points, but responded in a big test.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons had won six straight, but missed on adding an impressive win to their NCAA Tournament resume.

Flagg stepped up in the key sequence, starting with a faceup jumper. Knueppel followed with a paint score, followed by a pick-and-pop 3 from Mason Gillis.

Flagg handled most of the rest, scoring on a spin move, then beating Tre’Von Spillers off the dribble to throw down a two-handed slam as Duke made its move.

Duke’s Tyrese Proctor was 1 of 11 from the field and 0 for 6 from 3-point range before burying a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down, pushing Duke to a 56-49 lead with 2:18 left.

The Demon Deacons visit No. 25 Louisville on Tuesday. The Blue Devils host N.C. State on Monday.