On the opening possession of the second half, Duke guard Greg Paulus tossed a soft lob pass from the top of the key towards the basket. Sophomore Gerald Henderson grabbed the ball in the air and slammed home the ally-oop to set the tone for the second half.
The play was just a small part a night where everything went right on the offensive end for the No. 6 Blue Devils on their way to a 111-70 drubbing of Albany (5-5) Monday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke (10-0) scorched the nets from beyond the arc, making 15 of its 26 attempted treys, while also holding a 42-28 advantage in points in the paint.
"We have guys that can shoot the ball," Henderson said. "We have confidence that they can make shots. Tonight was one of those nights when those guys were hot."
The Blue Devils used their 3-point shooting to break open the game in the first half.
After the Great Danes trimmed their deficit to 25-15, Paulus swished one his three triples to give Duke a 13-point advantage with 7:55 remaining in the period. Less than a minute-and-a-half later, King knocked down a three, putting the Blue Devils up 34-17 and sending the Cameron Crazies who stayed past exam period into a frenzy. The forward's bucket was part of a 14-4 run that effectively put Albany away for good.
Demarcus Nelson led the way for Duke, scoring 23 points on an efficient 6-for-7 shooting effort from the field. Jon Scheyer added 18 points off the bench, scoring 12 of those after intermission. The sophomore said his new role on the team has helped motivate him.
"Originally, after starting last year, I was a little shocked," Scheyer said. "But I took it as a challenge to myself to try and be the best that I can coming off the bench."
While the Blue Devils' outside game was clicking, their inside presence was also strong. Center Brian Zoubek, starting in place of the injured Lance Thomas, was able to add 13 points and seven rebounds in twenty minutes of action. And Dave McClure saw his longest action of the season, providing a spark on the court, especially on defense. The junior showed great strides in getting back to the form he was in prior to his knee surgery.
Zoubek attributed his increased productivity to the squad's ability to execute its offensive gameplan.
"We ran really well in keeping up our tempo," Zoubek said. "Everyone was able to spread out and we were taking team shots."
Despite the large margin of victory, Duke recognized that it still has room to improve.
The Blue Devils were outrebounded 36-31 and frequently left shooters open. And Albany's 70 points accounted for the second-highest total a Duke opponent has amassed all season.
Because his team had not played in over a week, though, head coach Mike Krzyzewski was not overly concerned.
"[Albany] was adamant about running their offense," Krzyzewski said. "They made it difficult for us to defend them. Overall, we did a good job. You hit 15-of-26 threes, life is good."
With the victory, the Blue Devils next turn their attention to a clash with No. 11 Pittsburgh Thursday in Madison Square Garden. The Panthers are also undefeated and are led by freshman Dejuan Blair, who has emerged as a major inside presence for Pittsburgh this year.
Duke recognizes the challenges the Panthers (10-0) present, especially in the paint.
"They're one of the better teams in the country," Krzyzewski said. "They know how to win and play good defense. That kid Blair is going to be the best big man we've ever faced."
For the Blue Devils to continue their unbeaten streak, they have to improve their toughness on both ends of the floor. After Monday's game, McClure, Henderson and Scheyer all reiterated the same point-Duke needs to be more physical with its opponents. This is especially true regarding Pittsburgh, who crashes the boards hard.
Nevertheless, the win over Albany was encouraging for the Blue Devils, especially from an offensive standpoint. In addition to its blistering field goal percentage, Duke also committed only eight turnovers, which was its second contest in a row with less than 10 giveaways.
The Blue Devils hope that their offense can click just as well when it visits the Big Apple.
"Today was definitely good preparation," Zoubek said. "Albany's very physical and Pittsburgh will be a man's war. It's going to be a big battle."
NOTES:
Thomas, who suffered a right ankle sprain in practice on Dec. 11, watched the game from the bench along with Martynas Pocius. In the postgame press conferece, Krzyzewski listed Thomas as questionable for the game against the Panthers.
Demarcus Nelson appeared to hurt his ankle with 1:37 left in the first half after a collision near halfcourt, but shook it off and appeared to be fine for the rest of the contest.
Krzyzewski also praised the recent hire of football coach David Cutcliffe, who was introduced in a press conference on Saturday. "I think it's a great hire," Krzywewski said. "He's already paid his toll. He's been on roads that this program hasn't been in. He's going to be a tireless worker. There's nothing that I don't like about him."
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