Nov. 16, 2005

Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - J.J. Redick scored 18 points and top-ranked Duke turned in an overwhelming defensive performance to rout Seton Hall 93-40 in the quarterfinals of the Preaseason NIT.

DeMarcus Nelson added 16 points for the Blue Devils (2-0), who advanced to the tournament semifinals in New York to face the winner of Thursday's Sam Houston State-Drexel game.

Brian Laing scored 11 points to lead the Pirates (1-1), who missed 22 straight shots to fall behind by 30 at the break and ended up with the second-worst loss in program history. It is the biggest margin of defeat for Seton Hall since a 104-62 loss to Villanova in February 1972.

The win made Mike Krzyzewski only the ninth coach to win 650 games at one school, and his 723 career wins now stand just one behind DePaul's Ray Meyer for 15th in Division I history. Krzyzewski - who has won three NCAA championships here - has led the Blue Devils to at least 26 wins in each of the past eight seasons.

Duke shot just 40 percent and went 3-for-16 from 3-point range in its 64-47 first-round win against Boston University. But the Blue Devils had no such trouble Wednesday, shooting 64 percent and hitting 10 of 18 3-pointers.

The defense also picked right up where it left off after forcing 26 turnovers in the opener. Duke held Seton Hall to 24-percent shooting, and held Kelly Whitney - who had 25 points in an opening win against Manhattan - one point on 0-for-10 shooting.

Duke was relentless, harassing every ballhandler on the perimeter and forcing the Pirates to go 1-on-1 for any kind of offense. That played right into the Blue Devils' hands, with the Pirates forcing up at least seven shots in the half that didn't even hit the rim and fueled Duke's lethal transition game.

Stan Gaines hit a jumper on Seton Hall's first possession for a 2-1 lead, but the Pirates then missed 22 straight shots. The Blue Devils took immediate advantage.

They took control with a 15-0 burst, which included a pair of 3-pointers from Redick and Sean Dockery's alley-oop pass to Nelson, who threw down a one-handed slam in transition for a 16-2 lead with 12:18 left.

From there, the only drama was how long it would take for Seton Hall to hit another shot and whether the Pirates would even crack double digits for the half. Ultimately, Gaines ended the drought when he banked in a shot from the right side that made it 33-7 with 4 1/2 minutes left before the break.

It was the Pirates' first field goal in nearly 15 minutes, and drew sarcastic applause from the rowdy "Cameron Crazies." By the end of the half, Seton Hall had four field goals, five free throws and nine turnovers to trail 43-13. It was the fewest points allowed by Duke in a half in nearly 24 years, going back to Clemson's 13 points in the first half of a 50-44 win in January 1982.

Redick, meanwhile, had 16 points to lead Duke's 59-percent shooting in the half.

The Blue Devils did all that early damage with Shelden Williams, their preseason all-American center, picking up two early fouls and going scoreless in six minutes.

The lead grew steadily after the break, reaching 54 points three times.