Blue Devils' 2nd half streak spurs win

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Thursday night's game at Virginia Tech seemed all-too-familiar for Duke. Fifteen seconds into the second half, Virginia Tech's leading scorer, junior guard A.D. Vassallo, pulled up and nailed a big three pointer to make it a 42-41 game, putting the Hokies within one point of Duke. Cassell Coliseum, with fans in full "orange effect," erupted into a frenzy and the Blue Devils, which ended the opening half slowly, looked a bit shaken. But then Kyle Singler showed up-responding to Vasallo's big-game play with a three of his own which silenced the crowd and helped spark No. 4 Duke's second half dominance, leading to a decisive 81-64 win Thursday night over Virginia Tech (11-8,2-3 in the ACC). "I just had to stick with it," Singler said. "I knew the team was in it with me. We were playing alright, not well, and in the second half we were playing a lot better-playing like men." Besides his crowd-muffling trey, Singler added 13 more points after halftime, finishing with a team-high 16. But just 1-of-6 from the floor in the first, Singler was an unexpected resurgent force for Duke (16-1, 4-0), which used the second half to showcase its offensive talent and ability to hold its own in an aggressive and physical ball game. With the Hokies' leading big man, freshman Jeff Allen, suspended for two games for contact with an official, the Blue Devils showed clear signs of wanting to work the ball inside early. They ended the game matching the Hokies with 40 points in the paint, something the squad has struggled to do all season. "We're not a big team with a big center, so guys are going to think that they can push us around," 6-foot-4 Gerald Henderson said. "But we have a lot of fight in our team." Virginia Tech did not give up on its post-play either, which led to a game-long battle near the basket. And with offensive strategy focused near the hoop for both teams, the game was certainly physical and required a tough-minded mentality. "Our team responded well to [the aggressiveness]-and that's just the ACC," Demarcus Nelson said. "We have to tip our hats to Virginia Tech, they played hard and they played strong... We're all men out there, and its going to be a physical game." The teams recorded a combined 49 fouls on the night, with 52 trips to the free-throw line, and at times things seemed to be on the verge of getting out of hand. Even within the games' first five minutes, junior Dave McClure, who started, was sent to the bench with two fouls. "We got into foul trouble early in the first half and we had to play a little passive, trying not to foul-and that's not how we play the game," said Nelson, who fouled out with a technical later in the contest. In the second half, however, Duke stayed out of foul trouble and was able to put together a run without the stress of players being relegated to the bench. Aside from the physical play, pressure on Duke came mostly from the stands. Every time junior guard Greg Paulus touched the ball, the Hokie fans booed incessantly and when he threw up an air ball, it got even louder. "It's a tough place to play with the atmosphere and the crowd, and we needed to be ready for that kind of intensity," Paulus said. "It makes you want to compete." But Duke coughed up the ball a mere 12 times in the contest while forcing 12 Virginia Tech turnovers after halftime and generating 11 steals on the night. The win away from home adds to the Blue Devils' momentum as they continue ACC play, which they will need in their next game as they face the Maryland Terrapins Sunday in College Park. NOTES: Leading Virginia Tech onto the court in the pre-game festivities, Hokie forward Deron Washington botched on a dunk on an open-hoop, causing an awkward but subtle quieting of the crowd.... Krzyzewski said after the game that he thought the freshmen continued to make strides and helped the team get the win Thursday. Nolan Smith, Taylor King, and Singler were 12-26 from the floor for a collective 33 points in the game.