Davidson 69 - 82 9Duke
Final
  for this game

Duke uses strong second half to down Davidson

Nov 19, 2011 - 4:14 AM Durham, NC (Sports Network) - Mason Plumlee scored 16 points while pulling down 13 rebounds as sixth-ranked Duke used a strong second half to take an 82-69 victory over Davidson.

Seth Curry and Austin Rivers each added 17 points for the Blue Devils (4-0), who stretched the nation's longest home win streak to 39 games.

Chris Czerapowicz led all Wildcat scorers with 15 points, while Jake Cohen and De'Mon Brooks each scored 12 for Davidson (2-1).

"Our guys made a terrific effort. They fought from the opening tap to the end," Davidson head coach Bob McKillop said. "They showed signs of brilliance."

Davidson opened the game with a 9-3 run to take the early lead, but Duke countered with an 8-2 swing to tie the game at 11 with less than 12 minutes to go in the opening half.

The Blue Devils took their first lead of the contest at the 9:50 mark of the first when a Rivers three-pointer gave Duke a 17-15 advantage. Neither team took a lead larger than two points until Davidson scored six straight points to take a 31-25 lead with 4:14 left.

Duke rallied to take a one-point lead in the final minute, but Tom Droney's two free throws in the closing seconds gave the Wildcats a 35-34 advantage at the break.

The back-and-forth continued through the first three minutes of the second half as the lead exchanged hands three times with one tie.

But after J.P. Kuhlman's layup put Davidson ahead 41-39, Duke erupted on a 14-0 run to go ahead 53-41 with 12:52 to go.

The Blue Devils' lead never fell below double digits for the remainder of the game as they earned their 23rd consecutive win against Davidson.

"That was a heck of a game. We beat a really good basketball team," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "The second half, I thought we played just a heck of a half."

Game Notes

Duke's last loss to Davidson was a 75-73 decision on December 29, 1981...Kuhlman scored 10 points for Davidson...The Wildcats made all 14 of their free throws, while Duke went 19-for-30 at the foul line.






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