DURHAM, N.C. – Facing off against just its fourth ranked opponent in its modern DI era, Seattle University men's basketball battled No. 11 Duke for 40 minutes Friday night. A valiant defensive effort could not be matched on the offensive end where the Redhawks managed just 21% shooting as the Blue Devils claimed a 70-48 win on Coach K Court at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Seattle U (2-5) was held to just 10 field goals, including three three-pointers, but did make 31 trips to the charity stripe where they hit at a 77% clip (24-31). Duke (5-2) shot just under 40% for the game while converting 14-of-19 free-throw attempts.
"We came out and competed like we always do, but understanding that we were outmatched with size and athleticism so we had to overcome that with physicality," said Head Coach Chris Victor. "And at times we did, but some of those rebounds early hurt us and giving up 12 (offensive rebounds) was a big difference.
"This is a pretty special place to play. For us to come in here and compete for all 40 minutes, I'm proud of how we did that."
The Redhawks forced Duke to settle for outside shots early as the Blue Devils launched nine threes in their first 11 attempts. On the other end of the court, Seattle U managed just 6-of-23 from the field, but went 12-of-15 from the free-throw line to keep within distance, 37-25, at the break.
Duke would open the second half with 13 straight points and Seattle U would not score for the first eight minutes of the frame. Brayden Maldonado finally broke the spell with a pair of free throws at the 11:58 mark. The Blue Devil lead would hit 29 before the final 22-point margin.
Paris Dawson had 10 points, four rebounds and three steals. Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe finished one point shy of a double-double, tallying nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Maleek Arington added six points and six assists.
Tyrese Proctor paced Duke with 13 points while Don Knueppel added 11 points. Cooper Flagg added nine points, nine rebounds and a game-high seven assists.
The Redhawks return home next week for the first of two games this season at Climate Pledge Arena, hosting Portland State on Wednesday, Dec. 4 in an I-5 Clash. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets for the game can be purchased online at goseattleu.com/tix, or by contacting the Seattle U Athletics Ticket Office at 206-398-GOSU or seattleutickets@seattleu.edu.
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