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CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina (Ticker) -- It is not much of a rivalry if one team constantly beats the other. Mike Dunleavy scored 23 points and all five starters scored in double figures as top-ranked Duke dismantled North Carolina, 87-58, in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup. Once one of the premier matchups in the sport, Duke (19-1, 7-1 ACC) handled North Carolina for the eighth time in nine meetings and Thursday's game was not much of a test for the Blue Devils. Jason Williams scored 18 points and Chris Duhon added 15 for Duke, which led by 13 at the break and cruised in the second half. The Blue Devils have won seven straight games and are averaging 93 points per game over that stretch. "I was very proud of our team," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I thought North Carolina came out with great hunger and enthusiasm. The crowd was great." "I think our focus has been the difference over the past six or seven games," Dunleavy said. "We are coming into each ballgame prepared, ready to play, playing with intensity." Brian Morrison scored 12 points to lead North Carolina (6-11, 2-5), which committed 25 turnovers in the contest. "I have to compliment Duke," North Carolina coach Matt Doherty said. "They have a great team and they play great defense. They get a lot of steals and that really hurt us." "When you play against Carolina you never know," Williams said. "They come out and play really hard. They are a good team. They can put things together. They have the ability to become a good team." The game was tied, 6-6, four minutes into the contest when Dahntay Jones made a baseline jumper and dunk 18 seconds apart to key an 8-1 burst. A layup by Dunleavy put North Carolina ahead 14-7 with 13:11 left. The Tar Heels got back within 21-17 on a 3-pointer by Jonathan Holmes with 8:15 left but Chris Duhon made a free throw nine seconds later to ignite an 8-2 burst that pushed Duke's lead to 10 points. The Blue Devils' lead was 15 with seven seconds left, but a dunk by Morrison with two-tenths of a second left got North Carolina within 48-35 at the break. "I thought when we were able to get that double-digit lead, even though we gave up those two points before halftime, that was a big factor in the game," Krzyzewski said. Williams had 13 points, Dunleavy 12 and Jones 10 in the opening 20 minutes, which saw the Blue Devils shoot 61 percent (20-of-33) from the field. The Tar Heels were able to stay within striking distance by making 58 percent (14-of-24) of its attempts. Duke scored the first seven points of the second half as Carlos Boozer had consecutive baskets before Dunleavy drained a 3-pointer. Down by 20, North Carolina never got closer than 18 the rest of the contest trailed by 37 late in the contest. "In the second half, our defense was great. It wasn't good, it was great," Krzyzewski said. "We had very active hands." "The toughest thing now is we have to move on," Doherty added. "We really have to put this game behind us and move on as quickly as possible." . |
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