Duke Is Driving Opposition Battier

Jason Williams and Carlos Boozer dominated the first half for Duke. Shane Battier was unstoppable in the second. Georgia Tech never had a chance.

Williams and Boozer combined for 34 points before halftime, then turned over the ball to Battier, who scored 30 of his 34 points in the second half as No. 2-ranked Duke cruised past Georgia Tech, 98-77, Saturday.

“Not that they need my approval, but I’ve got a lot of respect for that Duke team,” said Paul Hewitt, Tech’s first-year coach. “Think about what they go through every single game, especially on the road. People just load up and give them their best shot.”

Georgia Tech had beaten Virginia and Wake Forest in consecutive games when those teams were ranked in the Top 10, but Duke came into this game clearly at a different level, with an average winning margin of 25.7 points.

Duke, 17-1 overall and 5-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, built a commanding 52-33 lead by halftime, with Williams scoring 18 points and Boozer 16.

Battier took over in the final 20 minutes, scoring 20 consecutive points for the Blue Devils and nearly doubling up the Yellow Jackets (10-7, 2-4) during a five-minute stretch. He made 11 of 14 shots in the second half to equal his career high for points.

“I’ve always considered myself a complete player: offense, defense, transition,” Battier said. “I really can’t remember the second half too well. . . . It was like I was on the outside looking in. Don’t ask me how to get there, because I have no idea.”

Battier also had five blocks, continually swatting away shots by a Tech team that was hopelessly overmatched after 6-foot-11 center Alvin Jones picked up four fouls in the first half, including a technical.

Jones, the only player capable of matching up inside with the 6-8 Battier and 270-pound Boozer, thought he was hit on the arm on a missed shot in the lane. Then at the other end of the court, Jones was called for his third foul while defending a shot by Boozer, and got his fourth for complaining about the call.

“I feel like I let the team down,” said Jones, who played only 14 minutes. “I’ve already apologized to them and I’m going to write a letter of apology. I feel bad about what happened.”

Williams and Boozer each finished with 24 points. Boozer was particularly effective at drawing fouls on short shots in the first half and made 10 of 12 free throws.

Duke has won nine in a row over Georgia Tech, with only three of those games decided by fewer than 10 points.