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Duke looking to bounce back against Cornell

Jan 6, 2008 - 3:04 PM Cornell(6-4) at No. 8 Duke (10-1) 5:30 pm EST

DURHAM, North Carolina (Ticker) - No. 8 Duke looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season on Sunday when they host Cornell.

Despite 17 points each from Gerald Henderson and freshman Kyle Singler, Duke suffered a 65-64 setback in overtime to Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden during its last game on December 20. The loss was the Blue Devils' first in the month of December since 2000.

The first-year sensation Singler is tied for the team lead, averaging 13.4 points and six rebounds a game this season. After scoring a combined 17 points in his previous two games, the freshman made 6-of-12 shots from the field - including a 3-pointer.

Duke has won an NCAA-best 57 straight non-conference games. The Blue Devils last lost outside the conference came against St. John's in February of 2000.

Duke should be well prepared to defend its winning streak after having 16 days between games. The layoff is the longest under Mike Krzyzewski and the biggest since Duke went 17 days without a game during the 1945-46 season.

Cornell won its second straight game on Monday, outlasting Quinnipiac, 86-84 in overtime.

Ryan Wittman scored 22 points against Quinnipiac and leads the Big Red in scoring this season, averaging 15.9 points per game.