Duke Is Too Tough for N.C. State

Second-ranked Duke matched its defensive intensity with steady shooting against North Carolina State on Thursday night at Durham, N.C.

The result was a 76-57 victory over its instate rival.

J.J. Redick scored 20 points, and Daniel Ewing had 18 to lead the Blue Devils (13-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). They have won 20 in a row and 35 in a row at home.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski posted his 676th victory to pass Louisville’s Denny Crum for 17th place on the Division I list.

Krzyzewski, in his 24th season at Duke, also earned his 300th victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue Devils have won 29 of 33 meetings against the Wolfpack (9-3, 2-1), which trailed early and never got into an offensive rhythm against Duke’s pressure defense.

After winning their last nine games by an average of 27 points, the Blue Devils turned the game into yet another one-sided contest with the same defensive-minded formula.

Duke held North Carolina State scoreless for 6 1/2 minutes during an 11-0 first-half run that gave the Blue Devils a double-digit lead.

The Wolfpack’s Julius Hodge, who entered as the ACC’s leading scorer at 18.9 points a game, struggled.

He finished with seven points and seven turnovers before fouling out with 4:31 to play. He also was called for a technical foul.

It was Hodge’s lowest point total since scoring four against Georgia Tech in February 2002.

No. 8 Louisville 76, East Carolina 66 -- At Greenville, N.C., the Cardinals (12-1, 3-0 Conference USA) won their 12th consecutive game and fifth in a row by double digits. They are second nationally in scoring margin at over 23 points a game.

The Pirates (8-5, 0-3), who lost their ninth consecutive conference game dating to last season, played without second-leading scorer Gabriel Mikulas, who broke his arm during practice on Wednesday and is out for the season.

No. 12 Georgia Tech 75, Virginia 57 -- The Yellow Jackets (13-2, 1-1 ACC) rebounded from losses at Georgia and North Carolina to rout the Cavaliers at Atlanta.

Senior Marvin Lewis, coming off the bench for only the fifth time in his career, scored 17 points to help Georgia Tech end a two-game losing streak.

Georgia Tech Coach Paul Hewitt shook up his lineup, giving Isma’il Muhammad, Clarence Moore and Will Bynum their first starts of the season.

Muhammad sparked the Yellow Jackets in the first half with 12 points. Lewis was six of nine from the field, Elder scored 16 points in only 19 minutes.

Virginia (10-4, 0-3) began the season with eight consecutive victories but has struggled since entering the tougher part of its schedule.

No. 16 Gonzaga 90, San Francisco 50 -- The Bulldogs (13-2, 3-0 West Coast Conference) used a 33-2 run to build a 55-16 halftime lead and coasted to their sixth consecutive victory.

The Dons (10-8, 0-2), who were six of 23 from the field (26%) in the first half, lost for 15th consecutive time at Spokane, Wash.

It was the most decisive victory in the series. The 42-point margin eclipsed the old record of 39 when Gonzaga beat the Dons, 106-67, in 1995.

OTHER GAMES

Omar Thomas’ breakaway dunk with five seconds left at El Paso clinched Texas El Paso’s 79-76 victory over Nevada (9-5, 3-2 WAC). With the Miners (11-3, 2-2) leading, 77-74, with seven seconds left, Thomas lined up for an inbounds pass under Nevada’s basket. He raced to the other end of the court, where he took the floor-length pass and scored to give the Miners a 79-74 lead.... Fresno State (9-5, 5-0 WAC) started the second half with a 12-1 run and defeated Boise State (9-5, 1-3), 78-61, at Boise, Idaho, for its seventh consecutive victory. Shantay Legans scored 17 points to lead the Bulldogs.