Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is further solidifying his potential as the top pick in June’s NBA draft when he went off for 42 points in the Blue Devils’ 86-78 victory over Notre Dame at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday.
The 42 points are the school’s and ACC single-game scoring mark by a freshman and are just one point off the school record for any player, set by Jeff Mullins on March 13, 1964, in the NCAA Eastern Regionals against Villanova.
The previous Duke freshman scoring record was set by Zion Williamson in 2019 when he scored 35 points against Syracuse.
Flagg, the first Blue Devil to score 40 or more in one game since JJ Redick scored 40 against Virginia in 2006, hit 11 of 14 shots from the field against the Fighting Irish, including 4 of 6 from three-point land, and made 16 of 17 free throw attempts. He also added seven assists and six rebounds in the game.
Duke (14-2, 6-0) scored the game’s first 14 points and increased the lead to 18 in the second half before Notre Dame went on a 15-1 spurt to trim the lead to 80-76 with 24 seconds left. Flagg’s four free throws helped stop the run and seal the win for the Blue Devils, who shot 53 percent for the game and outrebounded Notre Dame 34-21.
Markus Burton scored 23 points for the Fighting Irish (7-9, 1-4), whose 14 3-pointers kept them in the game late.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.