CLEMSON, S.C. — Viktor Lakhin scored 22 points, Clemson held player of the year candidate Cooper Flagg in check for most of the game and the Tigers defeated No. 2 Duke 77-71 on Saturday night to snap the Blue Devils’ 16-game winning streak.
With an opportunity to take over the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll next week, Duke saw Chase Hunter score 14 points and Ian Schieffelin add 12 points and 10 rebounds for Clemson (19-5, 11-2 ACC) en route to the upset.
The Tigers ended the Blue Devils’ chances of an unbeaten regular season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, along the way, and denied the Blue Devils (20-3, 12-1) an opportunity to take over the top ranking in the country for the first time in the coach Jon Scheyer era.
No. 1 Auburn lost 90-81 to No. 6 Florida earlier in the day, opening the door for Duke to claim the top spot with a win. But the efforts of Tyrese Proctor, who had 23 points, and Flagg, who had 18 on 6-of-17 shooting for Duke (20-3, 12-1), wasn’t enough.
Clemson trailed by six at halftime, but used a 12-0 run in the second half to take a 56-49 lead with just under 10 minutes to go. Hunter sealed the win by blocking Proctor’s layup with 7.9 seconds left.
The Blue Devils depth was impacted with Mason Gillis missing his second straight game with an illness. Flagg had just four points in the first 34 minutes of the game.
Flagg’s slip proved costly with 14 seconds, as well, resulting in a huge turnover with the Blue Devils trailing by two. He will have the chance to bounce back, though, as Duke hosts California in ACC play on Wednesday night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
