Pirates put perfect mark on line versus sixth-ranked Blue Devils

Nov 19, 2013 - 4:17 PM Durham, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - The sixth-ranked Duke Blue Devils will continue play in the NIT Season Tip-Off, when they take on the East Carolina Pirates in second-round action on Tuesday from Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils are 3-1 on the season after pounding UNC Asheville on Monday night, 91-55. The win was the 104th straight non- conference home win for Duke, the nation's longest such streak. The Blue Devils are now an impressive 23-2 in this event, with tournament titles in 1985, 2000, 2005 and 2009.

Jeff Lebo's Pirates are now a perfect 4-0 on the season after narrowly getting by Norfolk State in Monday's opening round, 76-74. ECU had won a pair of home games against NC Wesleyan (97-51) and Chowan (95-45), sandwiched around a narrow road win at UNC Greensboro (85-84) prior to this event.

This marks the first meeting between these two teams since 1991 and the 21st matchup all-time. Duke has won all 20 previous contests, with 19 of them coming at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Pirates showed their mettle and battled back from a 17-point deficit in the second half to remain unbeaten on the season with a two-point win over Norfolk State. Paris Roberts-Campbell led the team with a game-high 22 points. Akeem Richmond added 17 points to the cause for ECU, which also got a strong performance from Michael Zangari, who posted 16 points. Brandan Stith scored just six points for East Carolina, but did grab a game-high 12 rebounds.

At 88.2 ppg this year, ECU certainly has the ability to put points on the scoreboard in a hurry, like Monday night. Scoring depth starts with Richmond, who is netting 16.5 ppg, despite shooting just .385 from the floor. Robert- Campbell is next in line at 16.0 ppg, followed by Caleb White (11.0 ppg). Stith is just outside double figures at 9.8 ppg, but is the team's top rebounder (10.5 rpg).

Freshman forward Jabari Parker recorded his second straight double-double, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds as Duke made light work of the Bulldogs. Rodney Hood added 18 points in the rout, while Andre Dawkins chipped in with 13 for the Blue Devils. Quinn Cook and Semi Ojeleye also notched double figures with 10 points apiece. Duke was once again efficient offensively, shooting 57.4 percent from the floor and draining 10 3-pointers.

Duke has one of its most complete and balanced lineups in recent memory. The team is especially potent offensively, averaging 95.5 ppg, thanks to shooting .583 from the floor and .494 from behind the arc. Parker has been one of the top players in the country despite his youth, shooting .593 from the field, including a ridiculous .667 from 3-point range (12-of-18). The 6-8 freshman leads the team in both scoring (22.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 rpg). Hood is delivering on 70.3 percent of his field-goal opportunities and is putting up 19.8 ppg. The scoring depth continues with Cook (12.3 ppg), Rasheed Sulaimon (10.0 ppg) and Amile Jefferson (10.0 ppg).