Jon Scheyer makes his feelings known on Tyrese Proctor, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel following Clemson upset

Duke coach Jon Scheyer hailed the performances of Tyrese Proctor, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel in Saturday's 77-71 loss to Clemson. The third-year Blue Devils coach said his team competed against a tough Tigers squad that had its shots falling at a high rate.

He thanked Proctor and Knueppel for their efforts in the first half and Flagg for lifting the Blue Devils late in the game. The coach said the three players belong to a locker room of competitors ready to help the team win every game possible.

Proctor paced Duke's offense with 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting, while Flagg finished with 18 points despite a poor first half in which he was limited to four points. Knueppel contributed 14 points for the Blue Devils (20-3, 12-1 in ACC).

"You have to be really physically prepared for this game and mentally and we just fell a play short." Scheyer said (1:17)

The Tigers spoiled the Blue Devils’ aspirations of an unbeaten ACC regular-season campaign and a chance to take over the No. 1 spot in the AP poll for the first time in the Scheyer era.

Duke allowed Clemson to score 12 straight points in the second half, giving the Tigers a 56-49 advantage with less than 10 minutes left. Coach Brad Brownell’s team held on to the lead despite repeated rallies from the Blue Devils, improving to 19-5 (11-2).

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Duke coach Jon Scheyer singles out poor defense as primary reason for loss

Duke coach Jon Scheyer cited defense as the biggest factor in his team's defeat to Clemson. He lamented the Tigers’ 68% shooting in the first half, despite Duke taking a six-point lead into halftime.

That hot shooting continued in the second half, with Clemson making 58.9% of its shots, including 40% from 3-point range.

Duke was outrebounded 36-23 by the physical Clemson squad, which grabbed 25 defensive boards. The Blue Devils' lax defense against passing plays allowed 13 assists from the Tigers, who also dominated the paint with a 40-22 scoring edge in the lane.

"We had a hard time getting stops. And if they shoot 68% in the first half and we're winning, I think that's pretty incredible," Scheyer said (0:23)

"In the second half they didn't slow down much. They shoot over 50%. Pretty sure that's the first time that happened this season where a team shot over 50% (against us)," he added (0:32)

Viktor Lakhin led Clemson's offense with 22 points. Chase Hunter added 14, while Ian Schieffelin and Jaeden Zackery contributed 12 each.

Clemson will host North Carolina (14-10, 7-5 ACC) on Monday, while Duke faces California (12-12, 5-8 Pac-12) on Wednesday.