ANAHEIM, Calif. - The game remained something of a question.
Victories over two lightly regarded clubs had pushed the Blue Devils' record back to .500 and shown that life does in fact exist inside the three-point arc for Duke, but even while the nation's 16th-ranked team was leading well into the second half, the game was still in doubt.
Then Chris Carrawell ended the question-mark game with one giant exclamation point.
The senior forward capped off a 24-point night with a thunderous dunk at the 1:49 mark that sent the remaining fans to the exits and ensured Duke (3-2) it's first road victory of the season in an 81-68 win over Southern Cal (2-3) in the Wooden Classic in Anaheim, Saturday.
"We were very proud of our effort," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "[Southern Cal] came out with high energy, came after us, but we were always able to answer."
But the dunk-the high point of a two-minute, eight-point Duke scoring spurt-was more of a statement than an answer, as it slammed shut the door on a series of second-half runs by the Trojans.
With 10:49 to play, the Blue Devils had pushed themselves out to a 15-point advantage and seemed likely to bring the game to an early end, but a 7-0 Trojan run and a highlight-reel, reverse alley-oop dunk by Jeff Trepagnier whittled the lead down to eight with 7:52 to play.
Duke again distanced itself from the Trojans after the TV timeout following Trepagnier's slam, connecting on a pair of three-pointers and a dunk of its own to push the advantage to 16. But USC launched a final comeback bid, scoring five unanswered points and forcing the Blue Devils to take a 20-second timeout.
And like they did all game, the Blue Devils responded after the timeout, scoring four straight points before Carrawell's dunk effectively brought the game to an end.
"Duke has that mystique with them and when they shoot it's like they have an extra hand that guides them," USC coach Henry Bibby said. "So when it was time to perform, they did. They made fewer mistakes."
Carrawell, the team's lone scholarship senior, was the Blue Devils' go-to man the entire game, connecting on 10-of-16 shots from the floor and leading both teams in scoring.
"Our team was struggling a little bit in the first half," Carrawell said. "As a senior, I knew I had to get it going, and I got some lucky shots to fall."
But it was Nate James' ability to penetrate the Trojan defense that sparked the Blue Devils, who were hesitant to move inside the three-point arc during much of the first half and during their two previous losses. The redshirt junior constantly attacked the basket, scoring 14 points to go along with seven rebounds and a career-high seven assists.
"Nate took it to the basket [in the first half], trying to get the third foul on Trepagnier, but instead he scored," Krzyzewski said. "That drive started us thinking in that mode.... That was Nate James' best game as a Blue Devil tonight."
Duke had its best shooting performance of the season outside of the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium, connecting on just under 52 percent from the floor, a vast improvement from the 28-percent and 34-percent performances the Blue Devils put up in season-opening losses to Stanford and Connecticut in the Coaches Versus Cancer Tournament.
"The first two games showed how bad we could be," junior tri-captain Shane Battier said. "The game in L.A. showed how good we can be."
The Trojans kept the game close in the early going, jumping out to a 7-2 advantage three minutes into the game. Frequently playing its post players out top, the athletic USC squad was able to give the Blue Devils fits, beating them up the court and creating mismatches in Duke's man-to-man defense.
Brian Scalabrine, the Trojans' preseason All-PAC-10 center, led USC in the first half, scoring 13 of his team-high 17 points in the game's opening 12 minutes. His 15-foot turnaround jumper with 8:29 left in the first half pushed the Trojans out to a 23-22 advantage, their final lead of the game.
The Blue Devils immediately responded, scoring nine unanswered points. Another Trojan run cut the lead to three, but two Duke steals in the final 30 seconds gave the Blue Devils a seven point advantage at halftime.
Duke now enters a stretch of the season that might be even harder than the one it just completed; in under two weeks it faces No. 15 Illinois, No. 18 Depaul and Michigan.
And exactly how well Duke will fare remains about as settled as the mind of the coach shepherding six freshmen through the trials of college basketball.
"I have no idea where we're going to go [this year]," Krzyzewski said. "With veteran teams I do seasons in segments, but right now I'm only thinking game by game."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.