CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina fans refused to believe the score and the foreseeable finish. They still had hope for their third-ranked Tar Heels, even if their team trailed No. 2 Duke by nine points with less than two minutes to play. Their chants of "It's not over" reverberated around the Dean E. Smith Center, and they grew louder and louder until the cavernous arena filled with echoes.
If the Blue Devils heard them, they certainly played as if they didn't.
Duke converted 9-of-13 free throws in the game's waning minutes to hold onto its lead and edge North Carolina for the first time in four meetings 89-78 Wednesday night. Junior Greg Paulus continued a torrid stretch, scoring 18 points with a career-high six 3-pointers to pace six Duke players in double figures. The win provided the Blue Devils with a two-game cushion atop the ACC standings.
It didn't matter that Ty Lawson didn't play, that center Tyler Hansbrough posted 28 points and 18 rebounds or that UNC (21-2, 6-2 in the ACC) grabbed 11 more boards than Duke (20-1, 8-0). In the end, the Blue Devils' depth was simply too much.
"A number of our guys made big plays and it is hard to single out just one guy," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "This is a game where there are so many points where the game can go the other way. It just seemed like when it was going to turn, one of our guys made a play."
Paulus displayed a knack for finding himself in the midst of those game-defining moments. The guard, who had made 9-of-18 3-pointers in his last two games, outdid himself Tuesday, sinking 6-of-8 from beyond the arc and making his first five. As a team, Duke drained 13 3-point shots.
But Paulus managed to save his most momentous shot for last. Shooting off screens and off-balanced all night, Paulus curled around a pick from freshman Kyle Singler and hoisted a long 3-pointer as he fell backward into Duke's bench. The shot swished through the net with 5:33 remaining and gave the Blue Devils an insurmountable nine-point lead after Marcus Ginyard's three on the other end had cut the Tar Heels' deficit to six and reinvigorated the anxious UNC faithful.
"Greg's a marksman," said Lance Thomas, who matched a season-high with 10 points. "Greg locks on to that target, and there's no doubt in my mind it's going in."
"We knew we needed to make plays like that, with the crowd getting into it, the momentum on their side," Paulus said. "We had a couple guys step up and have big finishes or free throws, or step up and hit a big shot. Having different guys step up and fill that void was big for us."
Singler, experiencing the Duke-UNC rivalry for the first time, belied his freshman status to pick up his first double-double in ACC play with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The forward also led the Blue Devils with 37 minutes played-his most in conference games-and matched up with the All-American Hansbrough for a good chunk of those minutes.
If Paulus' last make was the dagger, then Singler's 3-pointer on the previous possession prepared the blade for entry. After Gerald Henderson swatted Hansbrough's dunk attempt with 6:41 left, Paulus found Singler for an open three to push Duke's lead to nine.
"Maybe we're seeing the maturation process of an outstanding player coming about, where he can play like that for that long a time," Krzyzewski said. "That's kind of a neat thing to see grow."
While Paulus and Singler stole the spotlight, sophomore Jon Scheyer was Duke's foundation. The sixth man came off the bench to log 33 minutes, second on the team, and sunk six consecutive free throws in the last four minutes to preserve the victory. He also handed out three assists and collected three steals.
"They got any shot they wanted," North Carolina head coach Roy Williams said. "I don't know very many times tonight our defense dictated what shot they got."
After the Blue Devils protected their advantage, the Tar Heels were forced to hoist a flurry of desperation shots as the seconds ticked down. Singler pulled down the game's final rebound and held it dearly to his chest and the Tar Heel fans filed out of the stadium. To their dismay, Duke had solidified its place in the standings and polls, and a Lawson-less North Carolina had burdened itself with an uphill climb the rest of the way.
The inevitable conclusion had arrived. The final horn had overwhelmed the rosy cheers. It was all over.
NOTES: Duke sported its black road jerseys for the third time in five years in Chapel Hill. When the Blue Devils have worn black, they are 3-0. In their traditional blue, they are 0-2.
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