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Kon Knueppel struggled in Duke's 77-72 setback against Kentucky in the State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Knueppel, who has benefited from the increased attention given to fellow five-star prospects Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach, couldn't find the basket in the big-time clash of two of NCAA's Blue Blood schools.
The 6-foot-7 forward out of Wisconsin Lutheran tallied 14 points, on 5-of-20 shooting, including 1-of-8 from the 3-point line, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 37 minutes.
Knueppel had a good start, scoring 12 points and helping Duke take a 46-37 lead over Kentucky. He bucked a slow start as he piled on the points in the next eight minutes of the first half.
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The five-star freshman fired blanks in the opening minutes but had his game going at the 8:23 mark, making three free throws after he was fouled on the 3-point line.
Kon Knueppel dished off to Cooper Flagg to give the Blue Devils a 28-24 advantage with 7:32 left. He made a layup with 7:08 remaining for his fifth point. The forward drilled a triple with 5:16 left to hand Duke a 33-26 lead. Knueppel breached double figures with a layup with 3:39 left.
A jumper gave him his 12th point with 58 seconds remaining, handing Duke a 46-37 edge at the half. Knueppel was 4-of-12 from the field, including 1-of-5 from the 3-point line. He was 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in 16 minutes of action in the first half.
In the second half, in the last 16 minutes, the 19-year-old went missing, though. His guns went silent after scoring on a twinner that gave Duke a 50-44 lead.
The shooting forward fired blanks in the succeeding minutes as he couldn't help Cooper Flagg, who carried the Blue Devils all by himself in the final minutes. Below are Knueppel's stats in the game.
Kon Knueppel and Kentucky's stingy defense silences Duke's gunners down the stretch
Kentucky allowed Cooper Flagg to score his usual numbers for Duke but clamped down on the rest of the Blue Devils team to complete a comeback win. Flagg scored the last seven points for Duke but couldn't carry the Blue Devils in this nationally televised game.
Kentucky elected to close out on Duke's shooters, including Knueppel, Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster. The starters combined for 11-of-38, including 3-for-17 from the 3-point line, handing the Blue Devils a painful setback.
Kon Knueppel and Duke will aim to bounce back from the endgame defeat as it takes on Wofford on Saturday at the Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham.
Is Kon Knueppel's bad night from the field the main reason for Duke's defeat against Kentucky? Let's know your views in the comments section:
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