Redick, Blue Devils hold off Penn despite offensive struggles

It wasn't pretty, but No. 1 Duke defeated the University of Pennsylvania 72-59 Wednesday night.

The Blue Devils set the tone for the back-and-forth game at the defensive end of the court, forcing the Quakers to turn the ball over 26 times and shoot just 39 percent from the field for the game.

At the other end of the court, Duke had one of its weaker performances of the season. The home team shot the ball well, but 17 turnovers kept the team out of sync.

"We played well defensively tonight," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "It was just the opposite at the offensive end. I was proud of our guys that they were able to keep up defensively. But it was one of those games where we did some things at the offensive end you just can't explain."

J.J. Redick led the way for the Blue Devils once again, notching 24 points and shooting 4-for-9 from beyond the arc.

Highlighting the Blue Devils' woes, Redick led the team in assists with a measly four. Freshman point guard Greg Paulus struggled immensely, turning the ball over five times and fouling out with almost four minutes remaining in the game.

"We've just gotta do a better job of taking care of the ball," Paulus said. "Offensively, we struggled a little bit. As long as you are playing good defense, you'll always win the game. If you can hold the other team from scoring, you'll always have a chance."

Stay tuned to The Chronicle Online for more game details and commentary.