DURHAM - On a bright, breezy spring Saturday at Koskinen Stadium, Duke men's lacrosse fans were in a buoyant mood for many reasons.

They cheered the No. 1-ranked Blue Devils' 12-7 first-round NCAA playoff win over Loyola. They cheered masked marvel, Matt Danowksi, who set the all-time Division I scoring record (347 points) with a two-goal, five-assists effort.

And they cheered the return and three goals of Collin Finnerty, a former Blue Devil who was one of three members of the 2006 Duke team charged with raping an exotic dancer at an off-campus party in March of that year.

Finnerty, Reade Seligmann and David Evans were later declared innocent by North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper in a mangled case that drew national attention and led to the disbarment of former Durham County prosecutor Mike Nifong.

Finnerty, who transferred to Loyola after missing the 2007 lacrosse season, agreed to meet with the media after Saturday's game, but wouldn't field questions pertaining to the 2006 Durham debacle that took a year to resolve.

"I was fired up for the match,'' he said. "It was a great feeling to be back."

After each of his three second-half goals, Blue Devils fans in the crowd of 2,454 cheered along with Finnerty's family and other Loyola faithful. He said that reception stirred "a lot of emotions," but didn't surprise him.

Before leaving the field, Finnerty also posed with former Duke teammates who asked him to join them in their postgame photo shoot.

"They're good guys, the most supportive people the last two years,'' Finnerty said. "There's nothing but good vibes between us. Some of my best friends are on this [Duke] team. Duke fans, the parents especially, have always been supportive. It was a great feeling all around."

Except for the defeat.

While Finnerty matched the three goals of Blue Devils' goals leader, Steve Schoeffel, that wasn't enough against the collective prowess of a Duke dream team (17-1) that will play Ohio State, in Ithaca, N.Y., next Saturday.

This Saturday, Loyola made it sticky early with offensive patience and Duke's dubious 0-for-10 shooting start. That combination enabled the underdog Greyhounds (7-7) to gain a 1-1 first period tie and seize an early 2-1 second-quarter lead.

Then the Blue Devils, averaging 15.4 goals coming in, shifted into their attack-dog mode. They probed the Greyhounds' defense from various angles, got into their offensive flow, and the goals started coming -- three from Schoeffel, two each from Danowski, Zack Greer, Max Quinzani and Michael Young, and one from Mike Catlino.

Amid the swirl of talented stickmen, Danowski, the 2006 National Player of the Year, continued to stick out. He broke the NCAA scoring mark on a deft touch pass to Quinzani with five seconds left in the first half, but the son of Devils coach John Danowski didn't rest on his record.

He kept zigging, zagging and zinging the ball around, scoring a second goal and adding two more assists in the last half. While he handles the stick as if it were a wand, Danowski had trouble grasping the magnitude of the moment.

"It's unbelievable,'' said Danowski, also the nation's season-leader in points (91) and assists (53). "I can't get my head around it right now and I still don't picture myself when I think of the all-time leading scorers yet. It's a tribute to the guys I play with."

Papa Danowski, while appropriately pleased with his son's play, deflected some of the attention by stressing that individual honors are the result of "being on good teams."

These Blue Devils are a good team, and Matt Danowski helps make them No. 1-ranked good.