Durham, N.C. -- DeMarcus Nelson scored 23 points to pace five players in double figures in leading Duke, the nation's sixth-ranked team, to a 111-70 victory over UAlbany on Monday, Dec. 17 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The game was played before a capacity crowd of 9,314, the 264th consecutive home sellout since 1990, and was televised across the country on ESPN2.
Duke (10-0) shot 60.3 percent from the field and made 15 of 26 from three-point range in recording the highest point total by an opponent in the UAlbany program's history. The Blue Devils, who have won three national titles since 1991, used pressure defense to force 21 turnovers.
"Their pressure got to us and we turned the ball over too many times early in the game,” UAlbany coach Will Brown explained. “They made us pay for every mistake and got into a rhythm. They have so many weapons and there is no drop off when they substitute. They are unselfish and communicate on both ends of the floor."
The Blue Devils, who have won 57 consecutive non-league games at home, opened up a 25-11 lead over the opening nine minutes by hitting 10-of-14 from the field. Nelson, a 6-foot-4 senior, made a pair of three-point field goals in that outburst.
UAlbany (5-5) cut into the deficit on an over-the-head layup by Tim Ambrose, who scored 12 in the first half. Duke came back with nine of the next 11 points to push out to a 34-17 advantage. Greg Paulus (11 points) buried one of his team's nine 3-pointers in the stanza to begin that stretch. Taylor King canned another long-range jumper to end the run. The Blue Devils shot near.y 61 percent overall in the half.
Ambrose, a redshirt freshman, finished with a career-high 24 points, on 10-of-16 shooting. Brian Connelly had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Brian Lillis added 10. Duke's Jon Scheyer and King scored 18 and 17, respectively, off the bench. Brian Zoubek, a 7'2" center, had all 13 of his points in the final period.
"The shots they made were not always contested,” said senior forward Brent Wilson, who had eight points and six rebounds. “When you give teams open looks like that they are going to make you pay. Playing here is a memory that we will cherish forever, but we need to use this game to help us move forward with our season."
Duke 111, UAlbany 70 (12/17/07 at Durham, N.C.)
Box Score
Official Basketball Box Score
Official Basketball Box Score
Albany vs Duke
12/17/07 7:02 PM at Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, N.C.
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VISITORS: Albany 5-5
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
33 Connelly, Brian..... f 5-9 0-1 2-2 3 5 8 4 12 0 4 0 0 33
34 Wilson, Brent....... f 3-8 2-7 0-0 0 6 6 4 8 2 0 1 1 31
54 Gifford, Brett...... c 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 5
03 Martin, Josh........ g 1-6 0-2 0-0 1 2 3 3 2 3 4 0 1 20
21 Lillis, Brian....... g 5-11 0-0 0-0 0 6 6 4 10 0 5 1 3 29
05 Hastings, Jerel..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0+
12 Moores, Rob......... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
14 Iati, Jon........... 4-9 1-5 0-0 0 1 1 0 9 2 3 0 0 27
23 Ambrose, Tim........ 10-16 0-1 4-4 1 3 4 4 24 1 3 0 1 29
42 Covington, Jimmie... 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 4 2 0 1 0 0 11
55 Turley, Al.......... 1-3 0-0 1-4 1 1 2 2 3 1 0 1 0 14
TEAM................ 5 5
Totals.............. 30-64 3-16 7-10 11 25 36 27 70 9 21 3 6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 13-30 43.3% 2nd Half: 17-34 50.0% Game: 46.9% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-5 20.0% 2nd Half: 2-11 18.2% Game: 18.8% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 4-6 66.7% 2nd Half: 3-4 75.0% Game: 70.0% 2,2
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HOME TEAM: Duke 10-0
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
12 Kyle Singler........ f 3-9 1-2 1-2 1 1 2 1 8 1 0 0 0 21
15 Gerald Henderson.... f 3-6 0-1 2-2 0 4 4 0 8 2 3 0 1 25
55 Brian Zoubek........ c 5-8 0-0 3-8 3 4 7 4 13 1 1 0 1 20
03 Greg Paulus......... g 4-5 3-3 0-0 0 2 2 1 11 3 0 0 1 22
21 DeMarcus Nelson..... g 6-7 4-5 7-13 0 6 6 0 23 3 1 1 2 26
02 Nolan Smith......... 2-5 1-3 3-4 0 3 3 2 8 4 1 1 0 21
14 David McClure....... 2-2 0-0 1-2 0 1 1 1 5 1 0 0 2 20
20 Taylor King......... 6-10 3-6 2-2 0 1 1 2 17 0 2 1 1 19
30 Jon Scheyer......... 7-10 3-6 1-1 3 0 3 0 18 3 0 1 1 23
41 Jordan Davidson..... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3
TEAM................ 1 1 2
Totals.............. 38-63 15-26 20-34 8 23 31 11 111 20 8 4 9 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 20-33 60.6% 2nd Half: 18-30 60.0% Game: 60.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 9-14 64.3% 2nd Half: 6-12 50.0% Game: 57.7% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 8-14 57.1% 2nd Half: 12-20 60.0% Game: 58.8% 4,1
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Officials: Gary Maxwell, Sean Huff, Brian Dorsey
Technical fouls: Albany-None. Duke-None.
Attendance: 9314
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Albany........................ 31 39 - 70
Duke.......................... 57 54 - 111
