Duke Blue Devils Advance in NCAA Tournament with Decisive Victory Over Mount St. Mary’s
RALEIGH, N.C. — The matchup appeared lopsided on paper, and the game unfolded precisely as predicted on the court.
Top-seeded Duke overwhelmed No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s, securing a commanding 93-49 victory in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at Lenovo Center.
For the Blue Devils (32-3), this contest essentially functioned as a tune-up, a scrimmage-like exercise, allowing star freshman forward Cooper Flagg to test his sprained left ankle. The game served to boost Flagg’s confidence as Duke prepares for deeper tournament rounds against more challenging opponents.
Duke’s win propels them into the second round, where they will face Baylor. Baylor previously overcame Mississippi State in a hard-fought 75-72 contest earlier on the same court as part of the afternoon doubleheader.
Baylor’s Uphill Battle
Baylor, a No. 9 seed entering the NCAA Tournament with a 20-14 record, had experienced recent struggles, losing six of their last 10 games.
Mountaineers’ Uphill Climb
Mount St. Mary’s, who earned their tournament berth by defeating Iona in their conference final and advancing past the First Four in Dayton with a win over American, faced an insurmountable challenge against Duke.
Duke established an early 13-2 lead within the first three minutes, punctuated by a three-pointer from Tyrese Proctor.
The Blue Devils extended their advantage to 22-6 with 12:19 remaining in the first half, highlighted by a dunk from Flagg.
The lead further expanded to 28-12 with 9:52 left in the first half on a Flagg layup.
Proctor’s second three-pointer of the game with 7:01 remaining pushed the score to 38-18 in favor of Duke.
A three-pointer from Sion James with 4:59 before halftime widened the margin to 44-22.
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A free throw from Caleb Foster with 2:05 remaining in the first half established Duke’s largest lead of the half at 27 points, 51-24.
The pregame betting line favored Duke by 32 ½ points.
With two minutes left in the first half, the Blue Devils held a 27-point lead and appeared poised to cover the spread before halftime.
First Half Domination
Duke’s dominance was further emphasized when Patrick Ngongba scored on a tip-in at the buzzer to conclude the first half with Duke leading 54-28.
Continued Pressure in Second Half
Duke maintained their offensive pressure into the second half.
With 3:44 remaining and Duke leading 84-46, Coach Jon Scheyer substituted in the reserves during a timeout.
Flagg’s Performance and Proctor’s Lead
Flagg concluded the game with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting, along with seven rebounds.
Crucially, he displayed no apparent issues with his left ankle, which he had sprained during the ACC Tournament the previous week, causing him to miss the final two games.
Proctor led all scorers for Duke with 19 points, shooting 6-of-8 from three-point range.
Khaman Maluach contributed 11 points, and Foster added 12 points off the bench.