WRAL Sports Fan

Duke

Duke swats away the Yellow Jackets, 70-56

By Guy Curtright

Jan 15, 2009

Atlanta — Duke was upset when it last visited Alexander Memorial Coliseum two years ago, and for a while, it looked like Georgia Tech might pull off another surprise Wednesday night.

Then the Blue Devils started playing at least a little like a team ranked No. 2 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and No. 3 by The Associated Press.

“It wasn’t one of our best games, but we won and that’s what matters the most wherever you are ranked,” Duke’s Gerald Henderson said.

Down 25-17 with seven minutes left in the first half, Duke went on a 13-0 run to take the lead and then pulled away in the second half for a 70-56 victory over the Yellow Jackets.

Defense, as it has been all season, was the key for the cold-shooting Blue Devils, who improved to 15-1 overall and 3-0 in the ACC with their seventh consecutive victory.

Duke forced 18 turnovers while committing just nine and scored 15 points off the Georgia Tech miscues.

“Our defense has been very consistent, and that’s good,” said Duke’s Kyle Singler, who had 14 rebounds to go with his 19 points. “We made a pact before the season that we would bring our best defensive effort to every game, and we have.”

Georgia Tech’s meager point total matched Duke’s defensive average during its winning streak, and the Yellow Jackets’ 18-turnover rate was what the Blue Devils have been averaging the past seven games.

“Defense is about effort and playing hard, so it should be there every game,” Henderson said. “Plus, we have a little more experience this season, and that has helped. Everyone knows what we need to do. No one is still learning.”

“I don’t want to rate teams or years, but this is as good defense as I remember us playing from game to game,” said Greg Paulus, one of Duke’s two senior contributors.

Duke had to play solid defense to avoid another Georgia Tech upset because the Blue Devils started the game 2-for-13 from behind the 3-point arc and shot just 39 percent from the floor for the game.

Despite matching Henderson’s 19 points for game-high honors, Singler was 6-for-15 from the floor, including 2-for-8 on 3-pointers. Jon Scheyer scored 14 points for the Blue Devils, but was 2-for-7 from behind the arc and 3-for-13 overall.

Georgia Tech, which is 0-3 in the ACC and 9-7 overall, got some good news just before the game when Derrick Favors, one of the nation’s top prospects, made an oral commitment. The Yellow Jackets sabotaged any chance of an upset, however, by going 7-for-19 from the foul line against Duke.

Georgia Tech stunned Duke 74-63 on Jan. 10, 2007, and that started a late-season skid for the Blue Devils. There would be no repeat this time, however.

“A lot of us remember that loss,” said Henderson, who had 12 of his points in the second half Wednesday. “That game was in the back of our minds. We used it to make sure it didn’t happen again.”