College basketball

ACC: Duke leaves no doubt about why it's No.1

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - There was no doubt about the latest No.1 vs. No.2 matchup.

There was no doubt who the top players were, either.

J.J. Redick had career highs of 41 points and nine 3-pointers and Shelden Williams added 23 points as No.1 Duke beat No.2 Texas 97-66 on Saturday, the third-biggest margin in a No.1 vs. No.2 matchup.

"J.J. is a special player, as good as they come," Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I don't think Shelden is far behind. This was a really good team performance."

Duke (9-0) used its defense to pull away early in the second half, holding Texas (8-1) without a field goal for 8 minutes, 25 seconds. In that time, Duke went on a 21-3 run.

Sean Dockery, the Blue Devils' other senior guard, changed the game with his defense. He harassed Texas' Daniel Gibson as soon as he crossed midcourt, and the Longhorns never got into their offense. Duke had 21 points off 16 turnovers.

"That was Sean's man the whole game," Krzyzewski said. "He didn't let Gibson have a great game. That was such a gutty performance."

Redick finished 9-for-16 on 3-pointers, bettering the eight he had against Florida State last season. His scoring best was 38 against Wake Forest last season.

Duke was expected to have trouble rebounding, but the Blue Devils finished with a 31-30 advantage.

NO.25 N.C. STATE 92, APPALACHIAN ST. 68: Andrew Brackman came off the bench for the first time this season and scored 16 for the host Wolfpack.

Cameron Bennerman added 13 points and Ilian Evtimov and Gavin Grant each had 11 for North Carolina State (6-1), which was playing for the first time in 10 days after a break for exams. They had some early rustiness before pulling away with an 11-0 run midway through the second half.

The Wolfpack shot 67 percent, including 75 percent in the second half, and held Appalachian State to its second-lowest point total of the season.

N.C. State coach Herb Sendek shook up his lineup, giving seniors Bennerman and Tony Bethel their first starts of the season. Bennerman finished with a season high in points, but Bethel limped off a couple of times with leg cramps.

GA.TECH 82, TENN. ST. 72: The host Yellow Jackets broke open a close game with a 16-1 second-half run and held off a late comeback. Georgia Tech (4-3) led 39-35 when Mario West hit a 3-pointer, followed by back-to-back 3-pointers from Anthony Morrow, to spark the run. The outside shooting helped open inside scoring chances for Jeremis Smith, who survived two injury scares to score 22, setting a career high for the fourth straight game.

VA. TECH 73, ST. JOHN'S 64: Coleman Collins scored 21 and Zabian Dowdell added 18 for the host Hokies (7-3). Collins hit six breakaway dunks, three straight in the second half. The Red Storm (5-2) kept Collins off the boards, but he hit nine of his 13 from the floor.

MIAMI 71, WOFFORD 40: Guillermo Diaz scored 17 and Anthony King (10 points, 11 rebounds) had a double double for the host Hurricanes. Miami (6-3) opened the second half with a 27-8 run to take a 60-33 lead with 8:01 remaining. Seven players scored during the run.

[Last modified December 11, 2005, 02:15:36]