The No. 17 University of Arizona men’s basketball team (2-2, 0-0 in Big 12) suffered a 69-55 loss against No. 12 Duke University on Friday, Nov. 22 at 8:30 p.m. in McKale Center.
This was the 11th meeting between the two formidable programs, with this loss being the first in the last four matchups between Arizona and Duke. The Wildcats currently hold the series lead, 6-4.
The Wildcats were led in scoring by Jaden Bradley, who finished the night with 18 points on 8-for-16 shooting and three assists. Notably, Bradley was crucial defensively, collecting five of the nine steals Arizona had for the night. KJ Lewis led second in scoring, putting up 12 points, six rebounds and one assist.
First half
Approaching tip-off, the excitement in McKale erupted as “UA” chants came from all over the arena filled with 14,634 people in attendance. Bradley started off the game putting the first points on the board for the Wildcats, sinking in a 3-pointer. Soon after, Motiejus Krivas got a second chance scoring opportunity, extending Arizona’s early lead to 5-0.
Cooper Flagg proceeded to tie the game 7-7 with a 3-pointer. However, the tie lasted for a brief moment as Lewis answered on the other end with a shot from beyond the arc. Duke continued to respond with back-to-back 3-pointers to take its first lead of the game, 13-10. Both programs found themselves in double-figures only five minutes into the game as Duke held a 1-point lead.
Despite Arizona’s efforts to come out strong defensively, Tyrese Proctor scored on a dunk for Duke after an Arizona turnover, extending the Blue Devils’ lead to 17-14. Khaman Maluach made a 3-pointer, stretching the lead to 6-points, the largest of the game yet.
Lewis was able to score a layup and get a foul call which allowed Arizona to get within 3-points of the 24-21 score. Caleb Love was able to score a layup after a steal, making it a one-possession game. Carter Bryant scored a 3-pointer, narrowing the lead to a but Flagg put up a layup, raising the score to 30-27.
The Wildcats stayed aggressive, scrambling for the ball multiple times in order to gain possession with under two minutes remaining in the first half. Duke went on a 6-point scoring run to lead Arizona 34-27 into halftime.
Bradley led the Wildcats offensively in the first half, scoring 10 points and two assists. Arizona shot 42.3 percent and forced Duke to turn over the ball eight times. Three players for Duke scored 8 points in the first half including Flagg, Proctor and Maluach.
“We wanted to try to get the ball inside, [Duke] did a good job keeping it out and then when we got it in there, I think their size and length impacted that a little bit,” said head coach Tommy Lloyd after the game. “I thought Duke came out pretty physical and battled, I was hoping that would be an advantage for us but it wasn’t tonight.”
Second half
Coming out of halftime, Krivas scored on a dunk, followed by a layup scored by Bradley to cut the Duke lead to 34-31. Duke did not stop pressuring Arizona, building its lead back up to 8-points after a 3-pointer made by Caleb Foster.
Kon Knueppel allowed the Blue Devils to find a double digit lead, capitalizing on the score after making a second chance 3-pointer to lead Arizona 42-31. Bradley grabbed a steal to convert on the other end of the floor with a layup but went down after an apparent knee injury. He soon after returned to the game.
Flagg scored a dunk off a turnover, forcing a 30-second Arizona timeout. Out of the timeout, the Wildcats brought the lead down to single digits after a 3-pointer scored by Love.
Lewis scored a layup on the fast break but was called for a technical foul with under 10 minutes remaining in the game. Duke missed both free throws following the foul and called a timeout to figure out a way to combat Arizona’s offensive efforts.
Lewis brought the lead down to 53-46 after a second-chance 3-pointer. Flagg, however, extended the Blue Devils lead to 10-points with a jumper with under two minutes left in the game.
Ultimately, Arizona was never able to regain the lead, resulting in Duke claiming the 69-55 victory. Flagg led the Blue Devils in scoring, completing the night with 24 points, three assists, six rebounds and two blocks. Knueppel followed with 13 points, three assists and seven rebounds.
The Wildcats physicality led to multiple calls for held balls as both programs fought over each possession. Duke gained 19 points off turnovers in the game compared to Arizona’s 10 points.
“[Arizona] is a very physical team. I found my footing and kind of played off two feet a little bit better and just use some shot fakes, I was able to just play a little stronger down low,” Flagg said after the game.
Looking ahead
The Wildcats will be traveling to the Paradise Islands, Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament beginning Wednesday, Nov. 27 and throughout Thanksgiving break. Arizona gets the chance to compete with other formidable programs such as its first matchup against Davidson College.
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