#6 Duke Downs UAlbany Before Capacity Crowd

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Durham, N.C. -- DeMarcus Nelson scored 23 points to pace five players in double figures in leading Duke, the nation's sixth-ranked team, to a 111-70 victory over UAlbany on Monday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The game was played before a capacity crowd of 9,314, the 264th consecutive home sellout since 1990.

Duke (10-0) shot 60.3 percent from the field and made 15 of 26 from three-point range in recording the highest point total by an opponent in the UAlbany program's history. The Blue Devils, who have won three national titles since 1991, used pressure defense to force 21 turnovers.

"Their pressure got to us and we turned the ball over too many times early in the game,” UAlbany coach Will Brown explained. “They made us pay for every mistake and got into a rhythm. They have so many weapons and there is no drop off when they substitute. They are unselfish and communicate on both ends of the floor."

The Blue Devils, who have won 57 consecutive non-league games at home, opened up a 25-11 lead over the opening nine minutes by hitting 10-of-14 from the field. Nelson, a 6-foot-4 senior, made a pair of three-point field goals in that outburst.

UAlbany (5-5) cut into the deficit on an over-the-head layup by Tim Ambrose, who had 12 first-half points. Duke came back with nine of the next 11 points to push out to a 34-17 advantage. Greg Paulus buried one of his team's nine 3-pointers in the stanza to begin that stretch. Taylor King canned another long-range jumper to end the run. The Blue Devils shot 60.6 percent overall in the half.

Ambrose finished with a career-high 24 points, on 10-of-16 shooting. Brian Connelly had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Brian Lillis added 10. Duke's Jon Scheyer and King scored 18 and 17, respectively, off the bench. Brian Zoubek, a 7'2" center, had all 13 of his points in the final period.

"The shots they made were not always contested,” said Brent Wilson, who had eight points and six rebounds. “When you give teams open looks like that they are going to make you pay. Playing here is a memory that we will cherish forever, but we need to use this game to help us move forward with our season."