Khaman Maluach Stats Tonight: How did Duke freshman fare vs Kentucky? 

Khaman Maluach finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in an efficient night but he couldn't help the Duke Blue Devils from falling to a 77-72 defeat at the hands of the Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday.

Maluach started brilliantly in his first big test of the season, tallying six points, four rebounds and one block in the first half. The 7-foot-2 slot man provided the anchor on Duke's defense, protecting the rim with all his might.

Maluach scored his first two points on a jumper at the 17:47 mark, giving the Blue Devils a 6-3 lead. He then made two consecutive baskets — a slam dunk and a jumper — giving Duke a 42-32 edge with 2:40 left.

The South Sudanese five-star prospect continued his scoring binge in the second half, making a dunk on the 17:34 mark that handed the Blue Devils a 48-42 advantage. He breached double figures with a layup with 14:16 remaining.

Maluach, however, missed the succeeding minutes of the clash, partly because of an undisclosed injury in the second half.

The center's apparent injury proved costly for Duke as Kentucky used its length and speed to silence the Blue Devils.

Here are Maluach's stats from the game against Kentucky:

Player	MP	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG	3-PT FG	FT	TO	PF
Khaman Maluach	23	10	7	0	0	2	5-5	0-0	0-0	0	3

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Khaman Maluach, Duke fade down the stretch against Kentucky

Khaman Maluach and Duke had an impressive start against Kentucky in the big-time clash between two of the winningest collegiate basketball teams in the nation.

The Blue Devils led for most of the game and their biggest lead stood at 10 in the second half. Duke took care of the ball efficiently in the first half, recording one turnover during that stretch but the inexperience of their freshmen in tension-packed moments proved costly for the team.

Star freshman Cooper Flagg made two of the most costly turnovers of the game, tarnishing his excellent night where he finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Fellow freshman Kon Knueppel also faltered, missing 15-of-20 shots from the field, including 1-of-8 from 3-point land.

Conditioning proved costly for Duke, as Khaman Maluach sat the remainder of the second half and trainers tried to treat his knee.

In their previous game, Flagg was treated by the team's medical staff due to cramps.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer appeared to shrug the injuries off, but it could be a major concern in the stretch run especially since the Blue Devils are contending for the national title with their highly-touted lineup.

“I think we were up nine when Khaman started cramping in the first half. I think part of it is we have young bodies," Scheyer said via AP News. "I think that’s part of it, where we’ve got to help these guys. Again, we’re not trying to just dip our toes in the water. We need Cooper to play a lot and Khaman too.”

Duke will hope to bounce back on Saturday against Wofford at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham.