DURHAM, N.C. -- The Virginia men's basketball team (10-4, 1-2 ACC) hung with top-ranked Duke for most of the game, but Duke freshman guard J.J. Redick proved too much for the Cavaliers in the end and the Blue Devils (12-0, 3-0) won at home, 104-93.
Redick, a Roanoke native, finished with 34 points and made all 11 free throws he attempted to set a new Duke freshman record for points.
Redick shot 9-of-13 from the field, including a three-point play with 4:32 left that was critical down the stretch.
The Cavaliers had cut the lead to 90-87 before Redick drove to the basket and drew Virginia guard Jermaine Harper's fifth foul.
Virginia had a chance to cut it back to four with 2:46 left, but senior forward Travis Watson missed two free throws, and a dunk by Duke senior forward Dahntay Jones for two of his 23 points ended any chance of a Virginia upset.
"Redick was sensational and Dahntay's second half was outstanding," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Redick's not that fast, but he's really quick with the ball."
The Cavaliers were down by five points at halftime, 50-45, but neither team led by more than that amount in the entire first half.
Duke opened the second half with a three from Redick, but Virginia responded, going on a 9-0 run to take a 54-53 lead.
The Blue Devils clung to a slight lead that stretched as high as seven until Jones' dunk put the game out of reach.
The game was very physical, as the two teams were whistled for 59 fouls that included three technical fouls -- one against Krzyzewski, one against Jones and one against Virginia sophomore forward Jason Clark.
The Blue Devils capitalized on the opportunities, shooting 37-of-40 from the foul line, 90.6 percent. The teams combined to shoot 61 free throws in the second half, and though the Cavaliers shot 27-of-38 from the line, it didn't prove to be enough.
Watson finished with 26 points to lead Virginia, but fouled out for the second straight year at Duke. The ACC's leading rebounder was held off the glass in the first half and was forced to sit much of the second half with four fouls.
"We did a lot of good things and a lot of bad things," Watson said. "The refs stayed consistent, but it's hard to play" with so many fouls being called.
Watson was one of four Cavaliers to reach double figures, as Virginia shot 50.8 percent from the field. Sophomore forward Elton Brown had 19 points, junior guard Todd Billet had 18 points, and sophomore point guard Keith Jenifer added 12.
"They're a team that can really score," Krzyzewski said. "Jenifer does a great job handling the offense. We were trying to take away the three. It's a heck of a win for us."
The Cavaliers outrebounded Duke, but the Devils' long-range ability proved fatal for Virginia. Duke, led by Redick's 5-of-6 shooting, shot 9-of-15 from three-point range.
"Offensively, we did a great job," Gillen said. "We just couldn't get stops when we needed to."
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