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ATLANTA (AP) — Otega Oweh knocked down four free throws in the final 10.3 seconds and No. 19 Kentucky claimed the first big win of Mark Pope’s coaching tenure, knocking off No. 6 Duke 77-72 in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night.
In the frenetic closing seconds, Duke (2-1) tied the game at 72 on Cooper Flagg’s lay-in with 1:14 remaining but never got off another shot.
Flagg ruined a 26-point night by turning it over twice in the final minute to hand the victory to the Wildcats (3-0).
Oweh had a steal that led to a pair of free throws, then snatched away an offensive rebound off a missed free throw by Lamont Butler, drawing another foul that set up two more free throws with 0.5 seconds left.
Andrew Carr paced Kentucky with 17 points, while Oweh added 15.
It was a huge win for Pope, a former Kentucky player who returned to his alma mater after the departure of long-time coach John Calipari.
Duke: The Blue Devils turned it over only seven times all night, but Flagg's miscues at the end cost them a chance to pull out the victory.
Kentucky: The Wildcats showed plenty of balance. Only three players reached double figures but nine players registered on the scoresheet.
With Duke trailing 74-72, Flagg stumbled as he dribbled into the corner and wound up putting his hand on the end line while trying to regain his balance, turning the ball over to the Wildcats with 5 seconds remaining.
Duke was just 4 of 23 from 3-point range, while the Wildcats made 10 of 25 beyond the arc.
Duke returns home to face Wofford on Saturday. Kentucky hosts Lipscomb next Tuesday to begin a four-game homestand.
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