M. Cagers Be-Deviled by Duke, 98-59

Monday was Duke men's basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski's birthday, and host Harvard did not disappoint, handing the Blue Devils' 9th-year head coach a 98-59 victory last night in front of 3000 fans at Briggs Cage.

The 11th-ranked Blue Devils (18-4) clung to a 46-35 halftime lead. before dominating in the second half, outshooting the Crimson, 59 to 24 percent. For the game, Duke hit 56 percent of its shots, while the Crimson sank 29 percent.

"We're a running and pressing team, and we did what we wanted to do," Harvard Coach Peter Roby said. "We just didn't shoot well. When you go into games against teams that are Top-20 where you're a decisive underdog, you've got to shoot extremely well, and we didn't.

Forward Greg Koubek led the Blue Devils with 19 points, while All-America Danny Ferry pumped in 16 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, helping Duke outrebound the Crimson, 59-36.

Harvard Co-Captain Mike Gielen led his team with 14 points while sophomore Ralph James chipped in nine. Gielen, Ferry's high school teammate at DeMatha High School, played well but only shot 5-for-16 from the field and committed 10 of the Crimson's 26 turnovers.

Both teams were marred by sloppy play in the first 10 minutes of the game and it was Ferry's shooting which helped the Blue Devils pull ahead.

A Gielen jumper cut Duke's early edge to 14-11 and after freshman Brian Davis stepped out of bounds, sophomore Dana Smith nailed a 10-ft. jumper to pull the Crimson to within one point.

"Harvard played harder than we did in the first half," Krzyzewski said. "We were careless with the ball. Some of that was us, but most was Harvard. Then in the second half, we played a lot harder."

Ferry's three-pointer from the right side upped the lead back to four points and his subsequent turnaround shot eight minutes into the game increased Duke's lead to 19-13. Harvard cut the lead to five (22-17) before a Robert Brickey dunk brought the Blue Devil alumni to their feet and ignited a 8-2 run.

Trailing, 32-21, the Crimson scored eight consecutive points, sparked by two Gielen three-pointers and a stifling press.

"We picked up a lot of confidence in that our pressure can rattle anybody," Gielen said. "This is the number-one team in the country and we rattled them."

But once again, Ferry wouldn't allow the Crimson to take the lead. He fed Brickey for a layup and then hit another three-point basket to up the Blue Devil's margin to 10 points, 39-29.

"We were involved in a screwy game today," Ferry said. "It was not like our typical games. The last three games, we've been playing good ball to the point where we are comfortable with each other."

The second half was no contest, with Duke's 15-1 run in the first five minutes converting a close 11-point game into a blowout.

"Because we didn't shoot well in the second half, we couldn't play a full-court game," Roby said.

"This is the type of team we'd like to play every game," Co-Captain Neil Phillips said. "You get a lot better. If we continued to play the way we did in the first half, we had a shot at it."

But last night's game was not a waste of time for either team. Both enjoyed playing the game, despite the suffocating temperature in the gym, and both teams gained from the experience.

"It was a different type of game for us. It was a good experience," Ferry said. "The type of game we might see in the first round of the NCAAs. A team that just goes out and pushes the ball, with nothing to lose."

"It's also a chance for Harvard to get a big upset," Ferry added.

Blue Devils, 98-59 at Briggs Cage Duke  46-52--98 Harvard  35-24--59

DUKE (98): Greg Koubek 5-7--19; John Smith 2-0--4; Danny Ferry 6-2--16; Phil Henderson 2-5--9; Quinn Snyder 4-2--11; Alaa Abdelnaby 4-4--12; Robert Brickey 4-0--8; Brian Davis 2-2--6; Christian Laettner 2-4--8; Clay Buckley 0-0--0; Crawford Palmer 1-1--3; George Burgin 1-0--2.

Totals: 33-59 27-38 98

HARVARD (59): Neil Phillips 3-0--7; Ron Mitchell 2-1--5; Mal Hollensteiner 1-0--2; Mike Gielen 5-1--14; Ralph James 4-1--9; Fred Schernecker 1-2--4; Dana Smith 2-0--4; Eric Carter 1-5--7; Brian Mackey 0-0--0; Tedd Evers 1-0--2; Mike Minor 0-1--1; Scott Gilly 1-0--2; David Lang 1-0--2; Ian Smith 0-0--0; Steve Bowsher 0-0--0.

Totals: 22-77 11-19 59.

Three-pointers: Koubek 2, Ferry 2, Snyder; Gielen 3, Phillips. Rebounds: Duke 59 (Ferry 14), Harvard 36 (James 8). Assists: Duke 19 (Ferry 5), Harvard 9 (Gielen 3). Steals: Duke 14 (Koubek, Ferry, Snyder, Brickey, Davis, Laettner 2) Harvard (16 Phillips 4). Blocked Shots: Duke 8 (Smith, Snyder, Laettner 2), Harvard 1 (Mitchell). Total fouls: Duke 15, Harvard 26. Fouled out: Hollensteiner, Mitchell. Turnovers: Holy Cross 34, Harvard 26.

Attendance 3000 (sellout).