No. 2 Duke scored 16 straight points in the first half to quickly blow open Saturday night’s game against Carolina in Cameron Indoor Stadium and send the Tar Heels to their fourth loss in five games. The 87-70 defeat is UNC’s largest of the season.

The 16-0 run turned a 7-6 game into a 23-6 runaway, and the Blue Devils wouldn’t look back. Duke led by as many as 32 points in the second half, giving UNC another dubious season record: its largest deficit. The Blue Devils showed the Tar Heels no mercy on defense, holding Carolina’s high-scoring offense to an 8-27 (29.6 percent) shooting performance in the first half. UNC also committed 14 turnovers, which led to 19 Duke points. Meanwhile, Duke blazed out of the gates on offense, making nine of its first 13 shots and finishing the game 28-53 (52.8 percent) overall and 10-20 on three-pointers. Carolina finished just 7-19 on threes.

Star freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel showed out for the Blue Devils, combining for 43 points. Flagg, the projected No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, flirted with a triple-double by grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out seven assists. As a team, UNC managed just 11 total assists. Tyrese Proctor (17 points) and Sion James (13 points) also reached double figures for Duke.

No Tar Heel scored more than 12 points, with Drake Powell and R.J. Davis tying for the team lead. Seth Trimble added 10. Carolina’s offensive struggles in the first half overshadowed a more efficient second half, one in which the Tar Heels shot 18-28 (64.3 percent). But it made little difference in the end, as Duke followed up a 15-27 (55.6 percent) first half with a 13-26 (50 percent) second half, routinely slicing and dicing their way through a porous UNC defense. Duke’s 87-point performance is the seventh time in 23 games a Carolina opponent has reached at least that benchmark.

The loss is Carolina’s fourth in its last five games and drops the team to 13-10 overall and 6-5 in ACC play. The Tar Heels will be back in action when they host Pittsburgh on Saturday at 4 p.m.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Ben McKeown

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