No. 4 Duke outmuscles Wolfpack in conference opener

There's no place like home. Following a two-week stretch with four games in Alaska and Chicago, No. 4 Duke opened its ACC schedule Saturday with an 89-69 victory over North Carolina State at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils' (7-1, 1-0 in the ACC) effort was marked by a suffocating full-court defense, which forced 29 N.C. State turnovers. Duke's tight defense held the Wolfpack (5-2, 0-1) to 37.7-percent shooting for the game and a meager 25 percent in the first half. "Our defense in the first half [played] as well as we've played this year," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We maintained a double-digit lead the whole time, and in an ACC game if you can do that, you're fortunate." From the get-go, Duke did not allow N.C. State to get comfortable at the offensive end. The Blue Devils held the Wolfpack below double digits until the 6:06 mark of the first half when guard Adam Harrington nailed a three-point shot. Duke also forced six straight turnovers to start the game and 17 total in the first half. "We weren't giving N.C. State any open looks, and we weren't allowing them to catch the ball facing the basket," Krzyzewski said. "We didn't play good defense in Alaska last week. It's what we've been working on in practice all week, and tonight it paid off." With its defense setting up the offense, the Blue Devils opened the game with a 26-8 run. During this early spurt, Trajan Langdon scored eight points and Chris Burgess added six. Langdon finished with 17 for the game, while center Elton Brand posted a career-high with 26. "We were able to get Elton in and out of the lineup frequently tonight," Krzyzewski said. "He stayed fresh, played with more poise and without wasted energy." Langdon did more than shoot during the game. He also sacrificed his body in fighting for loose balls and finished the game with four rebounds and three steals. "Trajan played like an all-star tonight," Krzyzewski said. "He made three hustle plays that were fantastic." Duke's largest lead was 27 points, at the 12:00 mark of the second half, after a Will Avery layup pushed the score to 62-35. The Wolfpack, however, cut Duke's lead later in the second half to 17 points on two three-pointers from Harrington, who led N.C. State in scoring with 26 points, and two free throws from Kenny Inge. "I think Adam came in and showed a great deal of courage," N.C. State coach Herb Sendek said. "He wasn't shy and he took some great shots for us. I think he really competed." Duke's bench would not let the Wolfpack get any closer than 17 points. Nate James, Burgess and Corey Maggette each sparked Duke off the bench. James had a fine defensive performance, forcing two steals in 14 minutes of play and disrupting State's backcourt with his tenacious play. "That's what we have to do," James said. "We have to come in and bring intensity off the bench. The game was so hectic, so frantic. I just tried to get in there and mix it up and create some offense with my defense." Burgess showcased a few nice offensive moves-on one first half play he used a baby hook to score over a State defender, and on another quick move, juked around his defender for a lefthanded reverse layup. Despite fouling out after only 13 minutes of play, Burgess also managed to haul down eight boards and block two shots. And Maggette used his driving ability to force the Wolfpack into foul trouble during the second half and put himself on the line on three occasions. He provided some instant offense off the bench, scoring 12 points in 19 minutes. Next up for Duke this week are two home matchups. The Blue Devils return to Cameron Wednesday at 9 p.m. against Florida and Saturday at 9 p.m. against Michigan.