Devils top St. John's

NEW YORK – Duke freshman wing Elliot Williams pushed out toward halfcourt against Quincy Roberts of St. John’s, who couldn’t find an open teammate as he dribbled under pressure.

The referee’s whistle blew and was followed by cheers from Duke’s bench. This, more than the 11 points Williams contributed in a 76-69 win at Madison Square Garden, is what the No. 9-ranked Blue Devils were seeking from their lineup change Thursday.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski put Williams in the starting lineup for just the second time this season, sending senior Greg Paulus to the bench after Duke (21-5) lost two games in a row. Jon Scheyer, who ordinarily starts at shooting guard, began the game at point guard.

It was a lineup tailor-made to address the defensive problems that plagued Duke as it gave up 101 points to North Carolina and 80 to Boston College in consecutive defeats. The Blue Devils forced 14 first-half St. John’s turnovers to build a 37-26 halftime lead and break their skid.

Williams scored nine points in the first half and was more of a factor defensively than Paulus or Nolan Smith have been of late in the backcourt. As St. John’s guards dribbled on the perimeter, Williams waved his arms, clapped his hands, and pushed close to force them to play faster than they probably wanted.

Duke also played without senior forward Dave McClure, who made the trip but stayed at the team hotel with symptoms that resembled food poisoning, according to team spokesman Matt Plizga.

With McClure gone, freshman Miles Plumlee was in a group of three players off the bench at the first media timeout.
Plumlee, who sat out the previous three games, scored four points. Junior forward Gerald Henderson scored 11 of his 19 points in the second half to lead Duke.

It’s too soon to proclaim Duke healed after its changes because St. John’s (12-14) isn’t as strong as most of the ACC opponents the Blue Devils will face. The loss was the fifth in a row for St. John’s, which is 3-10 in the Big East.

Nonetheless, a Duke team that’s been searching for answers showed that it might have one in Williams with just five games left in the regular season and No. 8 Wake Forest visiting Cameron Indoor Stadium on Sunday.