Smith and Curry eliminate all worry, as Duke deals 10-point “blow” to Hurricanes in Coral Gables

from www.theacc.com:

Duke Tops Miami 81- 71

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Nolan Smith scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half, Seth Curry added 16 and No. 5 Duke extended its Atlantic Coast Conference lead by holding off Miami 81-71 on Sunday night. Kyle Singler scored 14 and Mason Plumlee 12 for the Blue Devils (23-2, 10-1). Duke’s record after 25 games matches its best since the 2005-06 season.

Reggie Johnson scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting for Miami (15-10, 4-7), which was bidding for its first four-game ACC winning streak since February 2008. The Hurricanes fell to 1-17 since 2000 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, the lone win coming against Duke three seasons ago.

The Blue Devils didn’t let that happen again, building a double-digit lead midway through the second half and controlling the game from there.

Miami got within six points twice in the final minute, only to have Tyler Thornton hit two free throws on ensuing Duke possessions to keep the Hurricanes out of reach.

Malcolm Grant also scored 16 and Durand Scott added 10 points and a game-high eight assists for the Hurricanes, who play four of their last six regular-season games on the road.