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Scheyer helps Duke crush New Mexico State

Nov 13, 2007 - 4:56 AM DURHAM, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Jon Scheyer scored 22 points off the bench to lead four players in double figures as No. 10 Duke breezed to an 86-61 victory over New Mexico State on Monday night.

DeMarcus Nelson recorded 14 points and seven rebounds and Gerald Henderson netted 11 for the Blue Devils, who captured their 53rd straight win over a non-conference opponent at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Scheyer connected on 8-of-11 shots, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. He also had two steals.

"A couple of times I thought I saw guys open, but I had wide open shots and those are shots I have to shoot because the rest of my teammates are expecting me to shoot those," Scheyer said. "So when I don't shoot them, the two times I didn't, they were turnovers. So I need to shoot those from now on."

"He can start too. In the two games we've played, I think he's played the most minutes," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "To me, that's the most important thing. He came off the bench and gave us a spark, both offensively and defensively."

It was the second lopsided victory for Duke (2-0), which rolled to an effortless 121-56 win against North Carolina Central here in Friday's season-opener.

The Blue Devils wasted little time taking control, jumping out to a commanding 25-8 lead, capped by Greg Paulus' layup with 11:26 left in the opening half.

Duke shot 45 percent (18-of-40) from the floor en route to building a 47-26 bulge heading into intermission.

In the second half, Martynas Pocius' fast-break one-handed jam helped Duke extend its advantage to 61-30 at the 13:38 mark and never looked back.

"We got some buckets out in transition," said Paulus, who had nine points and eight assists. "Obviously it helps when you can just pitch it ahead and let someone else make a play. And we made some shots too. Getting up and down helps, and we just have to try and limit those turnovers."

Duke's defense was on full display, forcing 26 turnovers and blocking six shots.

Justin Hawkins had 16 points and 11 boards and Fred Peete scored 13 for the Aggies (0-2), who dropped their third consecutive contest against a ranked foe.

"I got a good feel for personnel under pressure - some things that we can build off of, a few bright spots with some guys that I didn't expect to perform that well so early," New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies said.

The setback also keeps Menzies searching for his first win. He replaced Reggie Theus on the bench after Theus departed for the Sacramento Kings.