CHARLOTTE - Although Davidson was down 16 late in the first half and its best player, Stephen Curry, committed his fourth foul eight minutes into the second, the pesky Wildcats stayed in the game with Duke until the final buzzer.
It took big-time performances from both Gerald Henderson and Greg Paulus for the No. 7 Blue Devils (8-0) to overcome a scrappy Davidson squad 79-73 Saturday in Bobcats Arena.
"This was a heck of a game," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Two very good basketball teams [were] going after one another, and that's why there were [scoring] flurries from each team."
Curry, who managed 20 points despite foul trouble, hit two threes in the final two minutes to keep the Wildcats (3-3) alive at 73-68. But Paulus responded in turn with a 3-pointer, a steal and a baseline fadeaway jumper with 32 seconds left to put the nail in the coffin and quell a final Davidson run.
Up by 12 with five minutes to go, Duke let its guard down defensively while slowing down its offensive attack-and the Wildcats took advantage. Davidson's big men had been getting wide-open looks underneath the basket all game, outscoring the Blue Devils 42-26 in the paint, and returned to that game plan late. The Wildcats scored three easy buckets, including a basket plus a free throw from forward Boris Meno and a layup from Thomas Sander to cut the lead to five with 2:42 left.
"We just didn't get back there very well in our transition defense," freshman Kyle Singler said. "But we did want to keep Curry and [Jason Richards] under control, so they were able to get the ball, with some slips, underneath the basket."
Duke, however, still showed flashes of the stifling, high-pressured defense it has employed so successfully this season. The Blue Devils instituted a full-court press and forced the Wildcat guards to work to get the ball past halfcourt. Around the hoop, Henderson had two blocks in the first half where he came out of nowhere, elevated to ridiculous heights and swatted the ball.
"I made a few plays-they were there for me to make," Henderson said. "A lot of times, I come on the help-side, and it's important because their big guys are pretty good and it's pretty hard to play one-on-one defense on them.... I was just able to come over and help my teammates."
Davidson stayed neck-and-neck with Duke for the first 12 minutes of the opening half, keeping the score knotted at 17. The Wildcats capitalized on a slow start from the Blue Devils, who committed three traveling violations in the first three minutes.
But after that, it was Duke's shooting, especially from beyond the arc, which opened up the game for the Blue Devils. Four 3-pointers in the next five minutes of play sparked a critical 23-7 run for Duke. Sophomore Jon Scheyer came off the bench to go 3-for-3 in the opening period, including a trademark play where he was fouled from 3-point range, missing the bucket but draining all three free-throws.
"If you've got guys who can shoot [threes], you shoot them," Krzyzewski said. "We were 11-for-25-shoot 25 [threes] every game, how many of them do you get the offensive rebound after and maybe score? We like to shoot."
Despite last-minute heroics from Paulus, it was Henderson's performance overall that seemed to be the difference-maker in the contest. The sophomore guard demonstrated his game-breaking and leadership abilities, leading the team with 21 points in just 25 minutes of play-the least of any starter-while also posting eight rebounds and four assists.
"Coach is always emphasizing just being a player, not just being a scorer or an assist guy or a shooter or anything like that," Henderson said. "My teammates found me in spots where they knew I could score the ball."
Both Paulus and Henderson were examples of the poise that this young team is gaining as the season continues, and leadership on the court helps in games such as Saturday's, where the opposition is relentless in its desire to win.
"The experience over the last couple years and having the coaches believe in us and the teammates telling you, 'You got that shot, let it go'-it gives you a lot of confidence," Paulus said.
NOTES:
With 14 points and 12 rebounds, Singler recorded his second double-double of the season and scored double-digit points for the sixth time.... Davidson has one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the country. After playing No. 1 North Carolina and No. 7 Duke, the Wildcats take on No. 2 UCLA Dec. 8 in Anaheim, California.... With the win, the Blue Devils improved to 8-0 for the third time in four seasons.
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