Battier Powers No. 2 Duke

If Princeton can’t slow down No. 2 Duke, who can?

The normally deliberate Tigers came unraveled as the Blue Devils unleashed a barrage of three-point baskets and some stifling defense en route to an 87-50 victory in the first round of the Preseason NIT at Durham, N.C.

Preseason All-America Shane Battier scored 29 points on a school-record nine three-point baskets in Duke’s season-opener.

The Tigers, playing their first game under first-year Coach John Thompson III, allowed their most points since the seventh game of the 1994-95 season.

Jason Williams added 17 points and Nate James had 15 as Duke was 15 for 30 from beyond the arc in Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 499th win at Duke.

Mike Bechtold had 12 points to lead Princeton.

Duke led by 24 points at halftime by holding the Tigers without a basket over a 9 1/2-minute stretch. The Blue Devils then made five consecutive three-point attempts to start the second half as Battier had three and the lead reached 34.

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In other first-round Preseason NIT games: Michael Bradley had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots and Villanova defeated Fairfield, 101-85, at Villanova, Pa. Bradley, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound center who sat out last season after transferring from Kentucky, was 10 for 12 from the field. Villanova will play at Duke in Friday’s quarterfinals. . . . Ravonte Dantzler scored 20 points and South Alabama limited Marquette to 31.5% shooting in a 67-54 victory at Milwaukee. The Jaguars will play at Indiana, which beat Pepperdine 80-68, on Friday.