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Singler helps Duke cruise past Presbyterian

Nov 11, 2008 - 4:09 AM DURHAM, North Carolina (Ticker) -- As expected, Duke had little problem in its season opener.

Kyle Singler had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Nolan Smith scored 15 as the fifth-ranked Blue Devils posted an 80-49 victory over Presbyterian in the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer on Monday.

Jon Scheyer and Lance Thomas each added 12 points apiece for Duke (1-0), which will play Georgia Southern in the next round of the tournament with the winner advancing to Madison Square Garden on November 20. The Eagles posted a 65-63 triumph over Houston.

"We're pleased to advance in the tournament," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who guided the United States men's basketball team to a gold medal at the Summer Olympics. "I thought our defense was excellent and with our offense, a lot of it had to do with (Presbyterian's) defense. They played really hard.

"We can't commit 21 turnovers going forward, and miss some of the shots that we missed tonight. Thank goodness it didn't have a negative impact."

Coming off a 5-25 campaign in its first season in Division I play, Presbyterian (0-1) was not supposed to present much of a challenge in its first visit to Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue Hose did hang around for part of the first half before the Blue Devils blew the game open.

Scheyer and Smith combined for 11 points as Duke used a 19-0 run to take a 36-11 bulge with 3:51 remaining in the half.

"It didn't feel like a 19-0 run," Scheyer said. "It felt like we were just dragging a little bit in the first half with our offense and it wasn't like a typical run that we feel like we can have. We had a few plays where we just threw the ball to nobody. We also did hit open people and make the extra pass."

The Blue Devils held a 46-22 lead at the break and maintained a lead of at least 20 throughout the second half.

Duke took its largest lead at 74-41 on the heels of a 13-0 run with 5:41 remaining. Smith had six points during the burst.

It was the 27th consecutive home-opening victory for Duke, which has won the last nine by an average of 32.8 points.

"This team is very competitive," Singler said. "I think that's one of our strengths - we just love to play and compete. Our standards weren't met tonight and we've just got to come back tomorrow with a different mindset and attitude."

Al'Lonzo Coleman and Dominic King scored 13 points apiece to lead the Blue Hose (0-1), who committed 27 turnovers and shot 30 percent (16-of-53) from the floor.