Cooper Flagg makes blunt admission after playing George Mason
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The Duke basketball team secured its fifth consecutive win on Tuesday night, sticking to its tried-and-true formula with freshman sensation Cooper Flagg leading the way and a dominant second-half defense, ultimately defeating George Mason 68-47.
Flagg recorded 24 points and nine rebounds, helping No. 5 Duke secure a 68-47 victory over George Mason by limiting the Patriots to just 29.4% shooting on Tuesday night.
Cooper Flagg’s thoughts on George Mason
Cooper Flagg talks Duke win over George Mason. pic.twitter.com/HLMqtnBqIm
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"That was a great team, extremely physical scrappy. They played really composed and with a lot of poise. So it’s a team that if you’re not careful and you don’t come out with the right mindset they can really jump on you. I thought we came out with a great mindset very defensive based mindset and I thought we did a great job," said Cooper Flagg in his post-game interview while talking about George Mason.
Both Duke basketball and George Mason entered Tuesday’s matchup ranked among the top six in effective field goal percentage allowed, and the two teams lived up to their defensive reputations in the first half.
Duke basketball, who have had trouble finding their offensive rhythm early this season, hit two 3-pointers in the first three minutes to take a 6-0 lead but then missed 13 of their next 14 shots. The home team endured several scoring droughts lasting up to four minutes before briefly breaking the slump with a five-for-seven shooting run midway through the half.
While George Mason is effective at making shots difficult for opponents, they struggle to secure rebounds. Ranked outside the top 260 in offensive rebounding rate allowed according to KenPom, the Patriots were outmatched on the boards by the Blue Devils.
Duke’s growth is continuing according to Cooper Flagg
Cooper Flag emphasized that Duke will just keep on growing stating, "I think as we just keep growing and growing in practice um and learning some different games and keep adding little new things in it will keep getting better and better. I’m not worried about it up to this point. I think we’re going to keep getting better."
Flagg grabbed five offensive rebounds in the first eight minutes, including a remarkable stretch where he tipped three boards to himself consecutively.
Duke headed into halftime with eight offensive rebounds, which helped them build a 25-16 lead, despite shooting just 9-33 (27.3%) from the floor and 4-15 (26.7%) from beyond the arc.
Flagg spent much of the first half taking short floaters instead of attacking the rim, with most of them hitting the iron rather than the net. The freshman forward made only two of his 11 attempts in the opening 20 minutes, finishing with seven points, but he adjusted his game and came out strong after the break.
Cooper Flagg playing contagious basketball in the second half
The 6-foot-9 forward consistently powered through to the basket in the early moments of the second half, earning a trip to the free-throw line on one play and converting a layup on another. Adding a jumper to the mix, Flagg racked up six points in the first three minutes after halftime.
The momentum appeared to spread to his teammates, with fellow freshman Kon Knueppel finishing a layup and junior Tyrese Proctor hitting his second 3-pointer, contributing to a streak of four consecutive successful shots.
George Mason hit five consecutive shots in the last eight minutes, but the Patriots still finished the game with just 20 made field goals on 68 attempts (29.4%).
Duke basketball, now 9-2 on the season, will head on the road for a Saturday afternoon matchup against Georgia Tech. Duke secured its first ACC win of the season on December 8, defeating Louisville 76-65 in a comeback victory away from Durham.
The post Cooper Flagg makes blunt admission after playing George Mason appeared first on ClutchPoints.
