Devils dominate Terps

DURHAM -- As Maryland called a timeout to stop one of many Duke surges in the second half, Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski jumped up off the bench and pumped his fist at the student section.

"Get up," he screamed at the fans, showing the passion that's rarely if ever been missing during his 30 seasons at Duke.

There couldn't have been a better way to celebrate his 1,000th game at Duke or his 63rd birthday. With more than 100 players, coaches and managers present to mark the occasion, the Blue Devils dominated a key ACC game, defeating Maryland 77-56 on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"I want to thank Duke for giving me this opportunity for these years and thank my team for coming up with a great performance," Krzyzewski said.

Senior guard Jon Scheyer scored 22 points and 7-foot-1 senior center Brian Zoubek grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds to go with 16 points. The eighth-ranked Blue Devils (21-4, 9-2 ACC) opened up a gap atop the ACC standings over Maryland (16-7, 6-3), which had been tied with Duke in the loss column entering the game.

The Terrapins now must play two more games in the next four days because of the postponement of a game against Virginia because of snow earlier in the week.

Zoubek also had a strong game at home against Maryland last season with nine points and nine rebounds, but had perhaps his best performance ever Saturday.

After nine minutes Duke led Maryland 20-6 and Zoubek had six points - as many as the whole Terrapin team - and five rebounds.

Maryland coach Gary Williams, who has watched while Zoubek struggled with foot injuries as a sophomore and junior, appreciated Zoubek's performance.

"He should be given a lot of credit for what he's done with himself as a basketball player from where he was as a freshman to where he is now," Williams said. "He's a guy that really found a way to enjoy his college basketball career."

Zoubek made his first start of the season as Duke's staff wanted experience in the lineup while teammate Lance Thomas played despite a bruised knee. Zoubek said Maryland's focus on stopping Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler left him open for his eight offensive rebounds.

His scoring included a two-handed rebound and dunk in the second half that prompted calls of "Zooo" from Duke's students.

"It feels great," said Zoubek, who came up two points short of his career high. "It's just really frustrating when I know that I can have games like this. I just haven't been able to show it to anybody, whether it's been because of my injuries or anything like that. It's great to get this win."

Senior guard Greivis Vasquez, who led Maryland with 17 points, bounced back from a two-point first half with a nine-point burst to cut Duke's lead to 54-44 with 9 minutes, 26 seconds remaining.

But Singler made a reverse layup to start a stretch of nine straight points by the Blue Devils, who led by double digits for the final 33 minutes.

Fans stayed and watched afterward as Duke president Richard Brodhead and athletics director Kevin White presented Krzyzewski with a framed jersey with the number "1000" on the front.

Thomas, the senior co-captain, held up a sign wishing Krzyzewski a happy birthday as the coach addressed the crowd. He said it's been a privilege and an honor to represent the school. He thanked the fans for their support and thanked former athletics director Tom Butters and ex-president Terry Sanford for hiring him.

"I couldn't have had a better job," Krzyzewski said, "than I've had for 30 years."

No. 8 Duke 77, Maryland 56

Percentages: FG .377, FT .727. Three-point goals: 2-13, .154 (Vasquez 2-3, Mosley 0-1, Bowie 0-1, Milbourne 0-2, Hayes 0-2, Tucker 0-4). Team rebounds: 3. Blocked shots: 6 (Gregory 4, Milbourne 2). Turnovers: 14 (Hayes 4, Vasquez 3, Tucker 2, Bowie 2, Mosley, Williams, Gregory). Steals: 4 (Milbourne, Williams, Mosley, Vasquez). Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .415, FT .818. Three-point goals: 5-15, .333 (Scheyer 3-4, Singler 2-6, Dawkins 0-1, Kelly 0-1, Smith 0-3). Team rebounds: 5. Blocked shots: 6 (Singler 3, Zoubek 2, Ma.Plumlee). Turnovers: 7 (Ma.Plumlee 2, Zoubek, Smith, Mi.Plumlee, Scheyer, Singler). Steals: 5 (Smith 2, Mi.Plumlee, Thomas, Singler). Technical Fouls: None.

Att.-9,314. Officials-Bryan Kersey, Ray Natili, John Cahill.